Prime's Daughter
by Mariposa Prime
Summary: Optimus Prime and Elita One have five children, who combine to form a femmeling. Follow their commander through the trials of being a princess in a war, while leading her siblings and going to school. Rated for several dark subjects: child abuse, child neglect, and implied/mentioned rape of a child. BEING REWRITTEN
1. Daycare

I only own my OC's!

* * *

Daycare

 **6:30 AM**

Hi! My name is Mariposa, and today's my birthday. I'm turning five today! I don't look like you might think, maybe because I'm not human. I'm a Cybertronian Princess. Our planet's dead now, so we're living on Earth. I have pink armor, with doorwings, and purplish pink finials and trim. My mommy's name is Elita, and my Daddy's is Optimus. I have a triplet brother named Bumblebee, too, and a sister named Brightstar, and twin siblings named Dreamwave and Lightstorm. Together, we'll be able to combine, as Bee/Star and I can now, to form Starlight.

We usually use our pretender forms outside the base. They help us to blend in with humankind, and they have blonde hair and blue eyes, while Star and our younger siblings have brown hair, but the same blue eyes. I have a few friends in kindergarten, so I can still learn what I need to for school. Soon, we'll be going to a real school!

Star's a bit smaller than the two of us. Carrier said her spark was weak, which explains why she was so much younger than me back in the old dimension-they sent her spark later on, so she could have some more time to develop. She's just as excitable as Bee and I, though, so I'm not too worried, but I still worry more about her than my other siblings.

I move my currently-in-holoform cyber-cat, Glimmer, then slide out of bed the and cuddle-pile. Ignoring the cat's glare and accompanying growl, I straighten out my long sleeved Strawberry Shortcake nightgown and skip over to my huge closet, where I pick out some clothes for Bee, Star, and I to wear today. Mommy usually lets me if we're just going to daycare or playing at home. I pull out one of my favorite tutu outfits and quickly change into it. It's a white tank top with dark pink and white polka-dot bows on the shoulders and a purple and pink butterfly graphic, a lavender tutu with dark pink and white polka-dot trim and bow on the waist, white cropped leggings, and pink sandals. I put my yellow and red butterfly print lanyard with my binky on it over my head, then pull out a white tank top and yellow shorts, and black sandals, for Bumblebee—with his bumblebee pacifier and striped lanyard, of course, and a white and yellow tutu outfit with a sun for Brightstar, with her sun pacifier and lanyard.

I step back into our room and smile as Glimmer pads over to me in her holoform and nuzzles my legs. I know Fixit fed her and Honey when he got up earlier, so I won't have to. He usually does, after all. After I pet Glimmer, I stand and turn to our double bed and dive on top of my brothers and sisters. There's no way I'm letting them sleep all morning. We have the same connection as conjoined twin humans do, so Carrier told our Daycare we're the first documented set of intact identical male/female triplets.

He starts awake and looks up at me with sleepy eyes. "F'u'erby?"

Star blinks up at me. "Why you wake us?"

I nod and giggle. "Wakey, Bumbee, wakey, Star! I's mornin'! Gotta go 'cool!" Bee pushes me off him and rolls to where he's on top of me, then starts tickling me. "Stop! No ticklies! No!" I push his hands away and sigh while crossing my arms. "Why you do dat?"

He huffs and crosses his arms across his long sleeved dinosaur pajamas. "You woked me up, Silly."

"I knows…" I squirm out from under him and hop off the bed. "Bu' we's five 'day! You no wanna s'eep frough ouw birfday!"

His eyes widen before he screams and tackles me to the floor. "We're five!"

"We'll get to starts real school soon!"

"An' Sire's gonna let us start training!"

I blink. I'd forgotten about that. "I fink I jus' wanna learns from Ratch…" I look down at my very sensitive hands. "Sire say' I gots medic hands anyways…" I shrug. "Anyway, you needs get dwessed. Carrier come in soon, we hafta go."

He quickly pulls on the outfit I'd pulled out.

I hug my sister, formerly my best friend, before she changes into a white tank top with a sun, her pair of leggings that match mine, and a yellow ribbon-trimmed tutu, then watch as she puts on her yellow sandals. She gets to go with us, but the twinlets have to stay home. They're only one, after all, and Ms. Olivia doesn't take babies…

Bee turns to me with a grin. "Wanna play cowboys?"

I shake my head. "Not right now. I wanna play dollies. You can play cowboys, though." I skip over to my dollhouse and sit in front of it before starting to play dollhouse with Brightstar. Carrier will come in and do our hair when she's ready. Then we'll leave for daycare.

Bee plops down beside me. "It's no fun to play 'lone." He looks into my dollhouse. "Can I play?"

I hand him the little boy doll, then smile at my dolls and start playing, making the little girl doll dance around her bedroom before school. I have a school dollhouse too, and a school bus. Daddy says we won't be riding the big bus that stops near our kindergarten, though. He said he or Carrier would take us when we're finally old enough.

Carrier opens the door and sits on the edge of our bed in her pretender form. She looks like me, just bigger. She starts braiding, then stops and pulls my hair into pigtails before continuing with just the top half of my hair. Once she ties off the ends of the braids, she puts a lavender butterfly clip that has a pink back on one side at the top, and a pink butterfly clip with a lavender back on the other side, then puts a pink and white butterfly tiara in my hair. "Brightstar?" My sister steps over, and gets the same treatment, just with a star tiara and sun clips. "Bumblebee?" He steps over as she gets some of his hair gel on her hands. She spikes his hair and sticks a yellow crown on his head, then shakes the twinlets awake. Once they're up, they get changed and dressed. Dreamwave in a Little Mermaid onesie and tutu with cropped leggings like mine and Star's, with purple sandals, and Lightstorm in a Finding Nemo onesie and shorts with blue sandals. She puts Dreamwave's hair in little ponytails with mermaid clips before brushing Lightstorm's, then stands with a smile. "Now, go get your backpacks, and we'll leave."

"Roll out time?"

She laughs softly. "Yes. It's almost time to roll out."

"With the Twinlets?"

"They're one now, remember? Olivia said they could go with you when they were one."

My mind wanders to the other kids my age here that go to my daycare. "What 'bout Blue, 'Lectro, Snowy, an' Lyric?"

"They're coming too, but they'll ride with their Carriers, just like I'm taking the five of you."

I pause to think about that. Electro, and his sister Electra, are our cousins, so they're going with his Carrier, my Auntie Arcee. Snowy's carrier is Uncle Ratchet, so she'll ride with him. Her sire spends all day in our security room anyway. Lyric's Uncle Prowl's daughter, so she'll ride in with him, then he goes to help the police department. They don't know he's a bot, but he does work for them in holoform. Since he takes care of his baby brother too, he's in my daycare too. He's my best friend. Carrier says that Sire was her best friend too, before they were Optimus and 'Lita, anyway…they were already bonded by then.

Uncle Bulky's bonded to someone named Wheeljack, but they haven't been able to have kids, and Agent Fowler won't let Bulky adopt some random human, so he has to make do with the rest of us.

I blink to find Bee and Star already have their duck backpacks on, and Carrier crouched to me. "Get your backpack, my Little Butterfly Girl."

I giggle at that and run after my plush duck backpack. She only calls me her little butterfly girl when we're using pretender forms around humans. I think she does that because my name means butterfly. Bee's her little bumblebee boy, and Brightstar's her little sunshine girl. The twinlets are her dawn and dusk.

I run over with my little backpack on my back, filled with the same little kid stuff I usually use at the daycare: a coloring book and crayons, a metal sippy cup of energon, a snack container, a duck binky and clip—Carrier lets me use them because they keep me calm—a duck blanket and stuffed animal, and a blankie with another duck on it. Everyone's has the same stuff inside, so it's okay if we get things mixed up. "Ready to roll, Carrier!"

She smiles down at me before transforming, then opens the door and leans the seat forward so we can climb in. I slide into my pink booster as Bee slides into his red one. Brightstar settles in the purple booster in between, and the twins get put into their weird twin car seat either Ratchet or Wheeljack made. Carrier buckles us all in before taking off.

* * *

 **6:50 AM**

We pull up outside the kindergarten daycare. Bumblebee, Brightstar, and I slide out and put our backpacks on as Carrier activates her pretender form and joins us. Bee and I each reach up and take a hand, and I take Star's, before letting her lead us up the steps to the daycare door with the twinlets in a red sling. I know my friends will get here soon, but Carrier and Sire have to work sooner than the others do, and Uncle Ratchet spends half his morning trying to calm Uncle Red down while they both work to get Snowy dressed for the morning. It's really hot out today, so I'm sure they'll be dressed like my siblings and I are—nice and cool outfits like tank tops and shorts, in light colors.

Carrier knocks on the door. Ms. Olivia opens the door to let us all in, and smiles at Carrier. "Good morning, Ariel. How are the kids today?"

"They're good."

I giggle and nod as she helps us inside before taking our backpacks off, then takes the hoodies Carrier always puts inside and hangs them up over our backpacks. They're ducks like the rest of our school stuff. "I'm good, Ms. Livy!"

Bee grins up at her. "Me too!"

Star smiles up at our teacher. She's a little shy. "Me three."

' _For being older than me, he's sure slower at everything else…_ '

She smiles. "Good." She looks back up to Carrier. "The others are coming later, I'll assume?"

Carrier nods. "Yes. They're just running late."

"As usual." Ms. Olivia laughs. "At least you guys won't be alone this time."

"Who's joining the school?" She glances down at the twins she's just set on their little feet. "Besides Dawn and Landon…"

Ms. Olivia waves her hand in the air. "Another set of triplets. They just moved here with their father. The girls sound like your kids, actually."

"They do?" Carrier crouches to my little sister. "Be good, and keep an eye on the twins while Olivia's teaching."

"We will, Mama."

We have a lot of superpowers, so I know that's what she means when she says that to Carrier. Bee and I share a look before looking up to her. "They has powers?"

She simply smiles and nods before leading us into our playroom. Since she teaches us kindergarten lessons, we're all starting first grade in a few months, but lessons don't start until eight, so we get to play for at least an hour, and it's not even seven yet. Bee and I always get to play lots!

I let her hand go and step into the playroom nervously as Ms. Olivia goes back to the entrance so she can welcome the others. I can't stop my hand from reaching for Bee's nervously. "H-Hi…"

"Hi! I'm Bailey!"

' _Okay…so I was wrong. He's slower unless it involves new peoples…_ '

Star runs over next, not wanting to be "late" to meet the new kids. While this used to bother me, she's my sister now, not my best friend, and she _needs_ to have friends. "I'm Claire!"

A blonde haired girl with her hair in braided pigtails with blue bows, wearing a light blue T-shirt and overalls shorts with tennis shoes darts over too fast for a normal human to, a blue streak behind her. "Hi, Bailey! I'm Bubbles! What's your name?"

I smile nervously. "I-I'm Mari. This is Dawn, and that's Landon." I grin. "You have powers too!"

A red haired girl with the same hairstyle and matching pink outfit and bows in her hair darts over next with a pink streak behind her. "Bubbles, the Professor told us not to use our powers."

A black haired girl with the same hairstyle and matching green outfit and bows sighs heavily as she darts over to us with a green streak behind her. "Yeah, Bubbles. They'll tell on us, and we'll have to move again, just like we did in Citysville."

"We won' tell. We haves some too." I shrug. "'Sides, everyone here's not normal. We all haves special abilities, an' we's from 'nother planet. We tell Daddy 'bout you, an' see if you's can come visit sometime. It be fun! Our Mommy's really nice!"

The red-head smiles. "We'll see. We'll have to ask the professor first." She blinks before holding out a hand. "I'm Blossom, and that's Buttercup."

I smile and shake it like I've seen humans do, then step aside to let Bee. He stares for a moment, confused. ~ _Shake her hand, Goofball!_ ~

~ _ **Oh… Sorry…**_ ~ He blinks. Sometimes we forget we have to talk out loud to other people. "Sorry, Blossom."

"Were you two using telepathy?"

I nod. "We're identical triplets." I smile. "We have to ask Mommy and Daddy too. We can do it after school."

Ms. Olivia steps inside then with Electro, Electra and Snowfire beside her. Electro's wearing an orange tank top and plaid shorts, his sister is wearing a green T-shirt and gold jeans, while Snowfire's wearing a sundress and leggings, all in white. "Five minutes till school starts, guys."

The girl in green kicks the floor. "Great. Now we hafta clean up."

I shake my head and smile. "We clean up five minutes before 7:30. It's only 6:55."

Blossom looks happily shocked. "You can tell time already?"

I shrug. "Our kind is a lot smarter than we look." I point to the large digital clock on the back wall. "But that helps."

She turns. "Oh…"

Snowfire crosses her arms. "Papa's gonna be mad, Mari."

I huff. "Well, so will Uncle Peter, but I don't care. I wanna have friends over who don't already live with us!" I glance over to the three girls. "I almost forgot. Jason, Snowy, they're Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup. Girls, this is my friend Snowy, and my cousin Jason."

"Snowy's papa doesn't sound very nice…"

I pat Bubbles on the shoulder. "It's all right. He's actually really nice, and so is her Daddy, but her Daddy's really cranky with the adults, and her Papa's kind of paranoid. Uncle Rick says it's just who he is, and we have to deal with it."  
"She has two dads?"

Blossom gives her sister a look and crosses her arms. "Bubbles, we don't judge people on who they love."

"I know, I'm just curious."

I smile slightly. "She does, and so does my friend Jessie, but it's normal where we come from. Jason and I have a mommy and a daddy, and that's really rare."

We all look up at the same time as Bluestreak and Lyric are lead in together. Ms. Olivia walks over to get things ready for our lessons while watching us play. "That's Jessie, and her Uncle Blake. Guys, they're Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup.

Bee grins. "They're new."

Buttercup scoffs as her sisters gasp in awe. "The kid's the same age as her! How can he be her uncle!?"

I cross my arms. "Because he's Uncle Peter's baby brother, that's how!" I smirk. "And actually, he's two months _younger_ than her."

Bubbles glances from him to me. "Why does he look so sad?"

Bee looks down. "His parents are dead."

I sigh softly. "They died on our home planet, before the war began—"

"Daddy's not gonna be happy with you for telling them."

"I don't care. I want friends to come over." I stick my tongue out. "And it's our birthday so we can do what we want."

"Just because you're the princess—"

"I'm not acting stuck up, Jessie! I's being me!" I blink. "Well, part of me…" I huff and cross my arms. "Mommy and Daddy will take care of Uncle Peter and Uncle Ryan if they put up a fuss. We wanna have friends over."

I turn back to the triplets as Bubbles gives me a sad look. "Your home's gone?"

I nod. "We barely got to see her. We're the last kids of our kind that we know of. We're called Cybertronians, and our home is Cybertron. Blake's big brother raises him, while the rest of us have our parents still. Our Auntie Star is out there somewhere with her son, but she's been living with humans since before the war. She doesn't want to be involved." I shrug. "We wish she'd at least come to visit once in a while, though. We haven't seen her since we was babies."

* * *

 **7:25 Am**

Ms. Olivia stands in the doorway to the lunch room and claps her hands. "All right, kids. It's time to clean up." She steps over to a cabinet before taking something into the next room.

Bubbles rushes over to where I'm standing beside the toy bin, her hands full of toys. "What's next?" She dumps the armload into the toy bin before looking back up to me.

I turn to the three girls with a smile aimed at Bubbles. "We have a breakfast snack."

Bee grins. "Usually fruit or muffins."

"Joy…"

"Buttercup, be nice." Blossom smiles over at us. "She doesn't have to feed us anything. We ate before we came."

I shrug. "We all did. It's just something special she does for us."

Bee leans on me with a grin. "Then circle time, then we start lessons."

"Well, the twinsies won't, because they're too young, but the rest of us will, while they go play in the other room." I smile. "Our lessons go till 9:30, then we get free play again until our parents come get us."

We settle around the table, and Ms. Olivia sets a muffin in front of each of us. "Thank you."

Blossom turns to me once Ms. Olivia's gone. "Why do you keep saying 'we' when you talk?"

"Yeah. We don't even do that, and we're triplets."

I giggle. "It's something that's only found in our kind."

Bee grins. "So you wouldn't be able to understand as easily as you'd like to."

The three of us speak as one, our voices merging to sound like Starlight Prime—at least the smaller, two-part version. "We're a combiner."

"Combiner?"

"Yep." I nod, and speak alone this time. "One of the original thirteen was a combiner named Nexus Prime. He had several component parts that combined to form him."

Bee picks up as I trail off. "We're the first combiner to be carried since before the Golden Age."

Star smiles from where she's sitting on the table between Bee and I. "Dawn and Landon, can merge with her too, but they're too little still, so we can't…"

Blossom's face lights up. "Sounds like gestalt psychology." We all blink at the redhead. "I'm the brains of the group."

Bubbles giggles. "Our Dad's a professor. He made us in a lab."

Buttercup smiles widely. "That's how we got our powers—when his lab monkey knocked Chemical X into the mix."

Lyric tilts her head to the side. "Interesting…"

Snowfire giggles. "That monkey would make Papa fritz for sure."

Blossom sighs. "He's one of Townsville's villains now…"

Bubbles face falls. "It would have been cool if we had a big brother…"

Buttercup nods. "Too bad he wasn't a good guy."

"Yeah…" I smile when I get an idea. ~ _Distract the teacher. I'm gonna go call Sire and see if they can get the new girls' dad to let them come to our birthday party this afternoon._ ~

~ _ **What do you want me to do?**_ ~

~ **Why don't you just ask?** ~

~ _That never works, Star. Bee, I don't know! Think of something!_ ~ He moves to stick his finger in his throat. ~ _Don't make yourself purge though, or I'm gonna do it too!_ ~

~ **I don't think she meant for you to gag yourself, Bee…** ~

~ _ **No wan' puk'!**_ ~

~ _ **I was just joking, sis! Sheesh…**_ ~ He giggles. ~ _ **You need to stop hanging around Ratchet and Red Alert. You're starting to sound like them.**_ ~

I roll my eyes. ~ _Oh har de har har._ ~ I sigh. ~ _You know I like to be near the medics! I'd hang out with Aidie, but he's still back in Griffin Rock!_ ~

~ _ **He's coming this afternoon for our party. All of Defensor is—Sigma 17 too. Sire said so.**_ ~

~ _When!? When did he say!?_ ~

~ _ **While you were in 'La-la land' back at base. You're worse than Fireflight!**_ ~

~ _Aw, shut it, Mister! You're worse than Streetwise!_ ~ I sigh softly and shake my head. ~ _I'm still surprised that we formed a sibling bond with them, even if sparklings DO form bonds easily._ ~

~ **I can't wait to see Groove again!** ~

~ _ **I wanna see Blades again!**_ ~ He pauses for a moment, his pointer on his chin. ~ _ **And see Streetwise…though I think he cheats when we play 'I spy'. He always wins!**_ ~

~ _It's hyper-awareness, not cheating, Silly, and of course you want to see the blood knight._ ~

~ _ **You said he hasn't been like that for a vorn though…**_ ~

~ _He still has that reputation, Bee._ ~ I motion for the others to move in closer. As the part of Starlight with the Prime spark (and the reincarnation of Solus Prime), I'm usually our group's leader, even though I'm the youngest of our age group. "Bumbee's gonna distract Ms. Livy. While he do that, I'm gonna sneak ina the potty with my BB phone, an' call Dada."

"Does she always talk like a baby?"

Blossom huffs. "Don't be rude, Buttercup."

Bluestreak nods. "She is the youngest, after all." He pauses. "Well, Starlight is. She's really—"

Lyric puts a hand over Bluestreak's mouth before he can continue. "Starlight's their combined form, and yes, she does." She turns to Bluestreak. "Slow your roll there, Unc. I doubt the new girls can understand fast."

Bubbles giggles. "Of course we can!" She gives us a confused look. "BB phone?"

Electro nods. "Ratchet bought a bunch of Buddy Bear phones, and programed them to call the comm center and our creators' personal comms, as well as Defensor's comms and the emergency number here in Jasper. Mari and Bee call them BB phones because their mini has trouble speaking, and it's leaked through their bond."

I sigh heavily. "Bumbee's older than me by a few minutes, and Star's younger by the same, otherwise, we're the youngest, especially because of D-Wave and Light. Electra—that's Crystal—is oldest by a year, then there's Lyre—she's the oldest of us by a couple months—that's Jessie to humans, then Blue—Blake, FYI. Then Snowy—that's actually her real name—and then Lecto—he's Jason. Then Bumbee, Star, and I, an' we jus' turned five today. After us is Dreamwave and Lightstorm, otherwise known as Dawn and Landon, who are one."

Blossom looks confused this time. "Mini?"

I nod. "Short for Minicon, which is just a tiny Cybertronian. Bumbee, Star, and I have an adult minicon as part of our combined form, but he works with Ratchet in the mornings, so he's up before the rest of us."

Bee smiles slightly. "Fixit's got a glitch that makes him mess up his words, and Mari and Star have the same problem from how long they've been together. They catch me sometimes, but I'm not around Fix as much unless we're combined. He and Mari are really close."

I sigh heavily. "So…Bumbee distracts Ms. Livy while I sneak to the potty and call Dada. Blossom come wif me so she can give Dada her Dada's number. The rest of you need to back Bumbee up. Star, you need to keep the twinlets from freaking out like the baby combiner sparkles they are."

"Got it."

I nod at the group, and we lean back in our seats.

"Wait." We turn to Blossom. "Won't Ms. Olivia know something's up already, since we—"

Bluestreak shakes his head. "We're always having little talks like that during snack time. It's the only way we can talk about our home without blowing cover. Ms. Livy never comes over when we're talking like that, and she's used to us doing that."

Bubbles blinks. "He talks a lot."

"Yep…" Lyric sighs. "But he can't help it. It's how he deals with his trauma."

"Ready?" They all nod. " _Now_."

~ _ **Push me off my chair.**_ ~

~ _What? I don't wanna—_ ~

~ _ **You won't, but we need to make it look real.**_ ~

~ _But… Who do I blame?_ ~

~ **Don' blame me! I'm just sittin' here!** ~

Bee looks around slowly. ~ _ **Blame Blue. He's right beside me. Just…pull me! Like when we twin up!**_ ~

I shrug, and quickly jerk him off his chair before returning to my normal position. He starts fake-crying, making it look as real as he can, while the twins start real crying. We watch as Ms. Olivia runs over to Bee and picks him up before carrying him over to the cubbies. The others follow curiously.

~ **It's okay, Twinlets. He's just pretending. He's not really hurt.** ~

"Now." I whisper. I grab Blossom's hand and we speed-float to the bathrooms on the other side of the room.

"Okay…" I pull out my pink Buddy Bear cell phone and hit the "Daddy" button. "It's ringing."

" _Mariposa, what is wrong?_ "

"I have a question 'bout our birfday party."

He sighs. " _What is it?_ "

"Did Carrier tell you 'bout the new girls in school?"

" _Yes._ "

"We wanted to know if they could come. They know 'bout us, an' they's superheroes, so they's okay 'round huge peoples."

Blossom leans closer to the phone. "We fight giant monsters all the time, Sir."

" _I will need to talk with their father first, Sweetspark._ "

"I knows. Bwossom's here to tell you his phone number."

"It's 364-5493."

" _I will let you know when I come to pick you two up. Do not drive Olivia crazy._ "

"We no dwives her cwazy, Siwe!" I giggle. "Bye-bye!" I stick the phone into its little bag and slip it back into my backpack, then hook it back under my hoodie. "Done."

"Next time, be a little more careful when you're talking to your sister, Bailey. We can't have you breaking anything."

"I know. I'll be more carefuler next time."

"Bubby!"

Ms. Olivia sets him down, and I run over and hug him, Star and the Twinlets close behind me. "You okays?"

"I'm 'kay, Sissy. I jus' bumpded my knee."

The three new girls stare at us in confusion. We walk over together and I lean forward. "It's an act."

Bee nods. "Mostly."

I nod. "'Stalts can't be 'part for very long when they's babies or li'l kids, because it's scary for us."

"It's _really_ scary when one of us gets hurted. Mari gets really quiet…"

"I panic inside, when they's hurted or losted, or when I go bisit 'Fensor 'lones. I can barely feels them, so's I's scawed. 'Fensor un'ers'and, though. 'Pots beed there 'fores, an' he helps me un'ers'and why I gets so 'set when we's 'part."

"Pots?"

Snowfire leans over as she walks toward the bathrooms. "Hot Spot. He's the leader of Defensor."

I nod. "He helps me figure out what I needs to knows 'bout being commander."

"Wait." I turn to Blossom. "If he's older than you, then why are you the commander?"

I giggle. "'Cause I have the Prime spark."

"Prime spark?"

I nod. "I'm the re-in-car-na-tion of the first femme, who was one of the thirteen. Our combined form is a prime, too, but I'm the one with the special spark."

Bee gasps. "Mari, you sayd that 'loud."

Lyric shrugs from her place by Ms. Olivia. "Carrier told me Mr. Fowler told her what we are, and made her sign something so she'd keep it secret."

I glare at her. "And you kept that from us _why_?"

"What's a spark?"

"It's our hearts, Buttercup." I go back to glaring at Lyric. "I's _waiting_ , Lyre."

"Carrier told me we had to try our best to keeps the secrets, but that we had con-tin-gen-cies, just in case one of us slipped up." She smiles. "It was kind of fun, having those whisper talks, so I didn't want to tell you."

"So we could be using our normal forms all this time, an' you never tolds us!"

She shrugs. "I never thought of it."

Ms. Olivia sighs before stepping into the middle of the room and claps her hands. "It's time to get to class, Little Ones. Claire, take the twins back into the old nap room. I've got some quiet toys for them. Then you can join the rest of us for circle time." A cell phone rings, but it doesn't sound like Ms. Olivia's—hers sounds like a doorbell—or one of our BB phones—those sound like wind chimes. This one sounds like a xylophone.

"Oh!" Blossom runs for the cubbies. "Hello?" She grins. "We can? Of course, Professor. I'll let them know." She sighs softly. "We'll be in class, but I'll let her know. Thanks, Professor. Bye." She slips a pink phone into her backpack and runs over to us. "We can go, and he said we could sleep over." She turns to Ms. Olivia. "The Professor's going to bring our overnight bags and leave them in our cubbies, if that's okay."

"Of course, Blossom." She claps her hands. "All right, class. Let's get to our places for Circle Time!"

* * *

 **9:30 AM**

"All right, that's all for today." We squeal and start to stand up. "We're going to have a pool day next Tuesday. I'll send a note home with you, to your parents, tomorrow." She picks up a small golden bell and rings it. "Class dismissed."

We run out of the room to the playroom, now joined by Star and the Twinlets, and start to pull out some toys.

Blossom turns to me. "What's that room for?"

"Naps, if our parents aren't here by noon. We have lunch where we had our snack, then we have naptime in there. Bumbee and I share a bed like we do at home, but everyone else has their own."

"But we don't—"

Bee cuts Buttercup off. "We don't usually nap either."

Star nods. "It's more of a 'Ms. Livy needs a nap' time than a 'we need a nap' time."

I nod and giggle. "We kinda wear her out…"

Bee smirks. "Because of all our energy."

"I don't think we'll be needing it today, though…" I smile. "Sire's gonna want to get us pretty early, since it's our birthday and all." I giggle. "Part of me wishes he'd come get us now, so we can go visit 'Fensor before he comes for our party…"

Bubbles gives me a curious look. "You seem really close to them…"

I nod. "Remember when we explained 'stalts?" She nods. "Well…" I rub the back of my neck, something I picked up from Charlie in Griffin Rock. "We kinda…formed a sibling bond with them when we were babies…"

Bee nods. "Now we're part of 'Fensor as well as being our own ges-ges—"

I look at him with my head tilted to one side. "Bumbee?"

"I can't remember the word." He shakes his head. "Oh, phooey. _Combiner team_."

"Oh…" I giggle, my head still tilted. "You 'minded me of Fixey."

He giggles and gives me the same look. "I guess I did." We turn to the girls. "Anyway…"

"I'm really close to Spot and Aid, and Bumbee's close to Blades and Streetwise, and we both really like their sister. Star's really close to Groovie and Streets, and the Twinlets love Blades and Spot."

Bee nods. "Then there's the Rescue Bots."

I nod to him before turning back to the group. This is the first time I've brought up Sigma-17 to them. "There's Heatwave, Chase, and Boulder." Bee and I sit down cross-legged, prompting the others to do the same. "Heatwave's their leader, and he's a fire truck." Bee holds up the corresponding plastic truck. "He's kind of cranky, like Ratchet, and wants to fight like Blades used to love doing." I sigh softly. "Chase is the police car." Bee holds up the black and white plastic toy. "Chasie is really by-the-book, but he knows compassion enough to know when to pursue and when to not—sometimes, anyway. His human partner is helping him with that. Boulder is a bulldozer." Bee holds up a yellow construction toy. "He really loves nature, and cares a lot about humans. He's an engineer."

Snowfire smiles as she uncharacteristically shouts: "Tell us about Defensor!"

I nod, but glance at the door. "Want to go to the Classroom for this one? That way, Ms. Livy can hear it too."

A chorus of "Sure!" causes me to stand and pick up D-Wave like Spot always picks up his brothers, and lead them to the round red rug we use for circle time. Bee follows with Light in his arms.

Once everyone's sitting, my "components" in a semi-pile—Star and Bee leaning into each other, with the Twinlets in their laps—I step back into the main classroom to find Ms. Olivia at her desk. "Ms. Livy?"

She leans down to me. "Yes, Marianne?"

"We knows you knows now. You can call me Mariposa."

She nods and corrects herself. "Mariposa?"

I run the toe of my left sandal across the floor in a tiny arc. "The others wan' me to tells a story from my pasts, an'…we wanted to knows if you wanna come hears it too?"

"Of course I want to." She stands and takes my hand, allowing me to lead her to the red rug. Once she's sitting in her usual place, I step into the center of the circle. I take a deep breath and let it out before starting to speak. "Back on Cybertron, several orns ago, just before Praxus…" I pause, and step over to where I can squeeze Bluestreak's hand gently. "I was the youngest junior medic working under Ratchet…" Ms. Olivia looks surprised that I could be a medic and still have to (re)learn how to read and write. "When we got news that a transport ship had crashed outside one of the city-states. Of course, I knew who it was because of my bonds, but Ratchet didn't."

Blossom looks up at me. "He had to be told, right?"

I nod. "He was told by one of the other medics, a mech named Siren, that Sigma-17 was reporting to the crash site because of their engineer. Then we heard they were bringing Blades in."

* * *

 _"How many incoming?"_

 _"Just one so far. Sigma said it's Blades."_

 _I whimper softly, and rub my spark in tiny circles, like Blades used to do on my back when I'd been missing Cybertron—and my siblings—back on Earth. "Bwades…"_

 _"Ratchet, they're asking for a medic to check the scene."_

 _I look up at Ratchet with pleading optics. I have to save Defensor. I promised Blades he wouldn't have to be alone. "Mariposa? Ready for a little house call?"_

 _I bounce on my heels. "I cans really go!?"_

 _"Only because you'll likely follow me if I don't let you come."_

 _"That was one time, Ratch." I giggle and take his outstretched hand. "Let's go."_

* * *

Snowfire lets out a soft gasp. "But there's never only one part of a combiner." She whispers.

"I know. I think I was keeping him going back then, actually…" I shrug. "Anyway, so Cybertron HQ called for a medic to check the scene when Sigma-17 were finished, and I begged Ratchet to take me." I look down. "The ship, to me, looked worse than anything I've seen in the war, and as a prime, I've seen a _lot_ of awful stuff."

Bluestreak looks up at me sadly. "Worse than Praxus?"

I crouch down and crawl over to him. "Blue, this was _my_ Praxus." I hug him gently before returning to my spot in the center and sitting down. "We found their commander right away, and Ratchet pulled the almost-grayed frame away from the wreckage." I blink, a tear slipping out of my eye. "It was Hot Spot, Blue. My big brother." I sigh softly before smiling. "He was still colored though, so we still had some hope. The second I saw that, I remembered a promise I had made to Blades back in my old dimension."

Ms. Olivia gives me a confused look. "Old dimension?"

I nod. "A little less than a vorn ago, I was living in another dimension as a human adult, close to your age, even though I was only four vorns. I'd been sent there so I wouldn't have to suffer under the caste system they had on Cybertron at the time. They did the same thing with Star, too. We met when I was seventeen, and she became my best friend, but that's another story."

Star giggles. "A _long_ and _complicated_ one."

"Defensor's parts were left there to keep an eye on us, just in case danger came looking for us. That's when we formed our sibling bond." I sigh softly. "Where was I…oh yeah!" I smile. "I had promised Blades that I wouldn't let him wind up alone, like he was in a TV show based on this dimension, so I had to save them—even if it killed me."

Bubbles gasps. "Really?"

Buttercup shakes her head. "Puh-lease."

Electro huffs angrily, like his Carrier usually does. "Just _listen_."

Electra elbows him. "Be nice."

I can't help but giggle at the two human girls. They remind me so much of First Aid and Blades back on Cybertron, it isn't funny. "Really, Bubbles." I smile. "So I started digging down into the wreckage, looking for—"

Lyric leans forward. "What were you looking for?"

I scowl, but continue. "I was looking for the other Protectobots. Ratchet tried to make me stop many times, but I kept saying no because I had made a promise."

Bee smiles. " _For I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep._ "

"It's from Robert Frost's poem, "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening"."

"Yep. That's actually one of my mottos." I giggle. "So…it took almost a breem—Cybertronian hour—but we got everyone back to the hospital. That was the first day I worked two shifts in a row, even though I usually wasn't allowed, because I had to save them…I had to save Blades."

* * *

 _"How are you feeling?"_

 _He scoffs. "Bout as good as you'd expect."_

 _I nod. "I understand. If something happened to my siblings, I'd be devastated." I lay a hand on his after clambering onto his berth. "It'll be all right, Blades. You'll get through this."_

 _"I've never been this alone before…" He blinks, and a few tears roll from his optics._

 _I wipe them away gently and cuddle into him carefully. "I know. I'll never let you go." I lay my head on his chest. Not that I'm tired, mind you—even though I'm exhausted—but I know he needs the closeness, and being half of a split spark myself, so do I. " Don't you dare look out your window, darling. Everything's on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on… Hold onto this lullaby, even when the music's gone… "_

 _"Don't leave me here alone."_

 _I smile slightly. "I won't, Blades. I'll be right here. You just rest. It'll be all right. Just close your eyes…you'll be all right…come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound. "_

* * *

"And you did…right?"

"They're in Griffin Rock right now, Bubbles, so yes." I sigh softly. "But Blades still changed because of it. He used to be a brawler—the toughest fighter of any rescue squad—but he became timid, jumpy…really quiet, and scared of heights from the fall. They moved him to Sigma-17 so he could get a much-needed break from the job that had traumatized him, and…" I sigh softly. "You'll see the result of the crash plus half a vorn of separation from his gestalt caused at my party this afternoon, but he may never be the same again…even with his brothers nearby."

Blossom instinctively reaches to grab her sisters' hands. "That's so sad…"

"I know, Blossom." I look out the window. "But there is a good part to the story."

Her face brightens. "What is it?"

I smirk. "Because he was sent to Sigma-17, he found someone who loved him no matter what, and he's got a little girl of his own now." I shrug. "She's just a baby still—only about a month old, and I was there when she was born—I was visiting Defensor at the time, since they had _just_ gotten to Earth."

"Cool!"

I nod. "I'm actually looking forward to seeing her again. I haven't been to Griffin Rock since she came." I sigh softly and look up at the teacher, causing Bee to stand. "Ms. Livy…C-can I have some cuddle time wif famiwy?"

"Of course, Sweetheart." She picks me up and takes Bee's hand before leading us to the nap room with Star and the Twinlets following. "You five can come out whenever you're ready, okay?" We nod. Once we're settled in our cot, she leaves the room, leaving the light on.

* * *

 **Third POV**

"Ms. Livy, is Mari okay?"

She nods. "Of course she is, Blossom." She smiles. "They're just…" She sighs softly. "Mari gets upset about her past easily, Sweetheart, and she needs to spend time with Ba—Bee—and the others, so she can feel safe and happy again. They'll be back out to play in a few minutes." She laughs softly. "Unless they fall asleep again, then we'll wake them up in time for lunch."

"Okay." Blossom sighs for a moment, looking at her feet, before looking up to Ms. Olivia with a grin. "Can we do an art project?"

"What kind of project?"

"Can we all make a big card for her?"

Ms. Olivia nods. "That's a great idea, Blossom." She turns to the others. "Everyone get to your seats around the table. Blossom, would you like to help me get the art supplies?"

"Sure!"

* * *

 **11:30 AM, third pov**

"Snowy, could you go wake Mari, Claire, and Bee for me?"

She nods and slips silently into the nap room. "Star…Star…" She shakes the femmeling gently. "It's time to wake up, Star."

* * *

 **Normal POV**

I blink up at Snowfire before smiling. "Hi."

"Hi, Sleepyhead. It's time to eat."

"I'll be ou' soon as I wakey famiwy."

"Okay." She slips back out as I turn to Bee. "Bumbee, wakey up!"

"Huh?" He sits up. "We takey nap."

I nod. "We takey nap. It lunch time now."

"Oh…" He gives me a sad look. "Siwe's not here yet."

"Nope. Soon, though." I give Star a light shake. "Wakey, up, Star. Time'a eat."

"Time to eat?"

"Uh-huh. Almos'." We wake the twins, then step into the lunch room and take our seats while Ms. Olivia checks the food she brought for today.

Blossom smiles at us. "We made you something." She slides a card over to us. It's dark pink with yellow writing, and there are bees and a butterfly on the front. I open it, and the inside is yellow, with a pink butterfly behind another bee.

"Do you like it?"

I nod, and hug her before turning to the others. "Thanks, guys."

"Who's that?" We all look up, and Bee and I grin.

"Sire!"

"Daddy!"

"Dad!"

"Dada!"

"PAPA!"

We jump up and run to the door. "Calm down, Little Ones. Wait for him to get to the door!" Ms. Olivia laughs as she opens the door. "It doesn't take him long when he's picking up his babies."

"Actually…"

"Yes, Mr. Prime?"

"I have asked you to call me Orion." Sire shakes his head. "I am actually picking everyone up today." He turns and kneels to Blossom. "I assume you are the young girl I spoke to on the phone?"

She nods and smiles. "I'm Blossom, sir. These are my sisters, Bubbles and Buttercup."

He nods and stands. "Go get your things so we can go."

Blossom looks around and notices we've already got our backpacks on. She nods up to him, and the trio darts over to get their backpacks and overnight bags.

We clamber into the semi-truck one at a time. The others settle on the folded-down cot while Bee and I settle into the passenger seat with Star between us and the Twinlets on our laps, all of them making sure I can see out. After the first time my carsickess caused everyone to purge, they've made sure I can. He slides the seat belt around the five of us, then starts to the base.

"So…where do you guys live?"

I giggle. "In a rock." Bee and I outright laugh at their confused expressions.

"My Mariposa is right. Our base is a former missile silo inside a rock formation."

~ _ **You excited to see 'Fensor again?**_ ~

~ _Yeah. I can't wait! You think 'Breaker's gonna be there?_ ~

~ **I hope so. I haven't seen Auntie Star in AGES!** ~

"I assure you, it has been shorter than that since her last visit."

"How can you—"

I giggle. "Daddy's got a bond with us too, Buttercup. So does Mommy."

"Oh…"

"Don—" I trail off before grinning. "We're here!" They look out the window to see the large rock formation, and a door sliding open in the cliff-face. "Is 'Fensor here yet?"

"Not yet." Sire sighs softly as he pulls to a stop. "You know I have to go after them because of their cover." He opens the door to let us all out. Everyone's in the main room, waiting for their younglings.

I slide out and bounce in front of him, still in my pretender form. "Can I go too?"

Sire sighs softly. "All five of you can come with me, since your Carrier is picking up your teacher and Agent Fowler, but we are not leaving just yet. You need to get changed and show your guests where they can put their bags."

"Yes, Sire." I turn to the girls, but before I can speak, they do.

"Who is everyone?"

I nod. Good a place as any to start. "Okay…" I rub the back of my neck. "Cliffjumper's the red guy with the horns. He's Lecto's Daddy. Aunt Arcee is the blue girl holding him. Ratchet's the guy at the computers. He's cranky, so be careful around him. That's Snowfire's Carrier. Her sire is the guy standing beside Ratchet. He's Red Alert. Prowl is the black and white guy with the police lights and doorwings. He took a half-shift so we could have my party this afternoon. He's Blue's brother and Lyre's Carrier. Her sire is the bot in America's colors that's mostly white, also with doorwings. Carrier's the pink girl with doorwings, Sire's the red and blue guy behind me. Bulkhead's the green big guy. Our mini's in the doorway over there, so he doesn't get stepped on. His name's—"

"Fixit, at your surface—" I facepalm and run for the minicon. "Series—" I giggle and reach up to bonk his head. "Service!" He turns to me. "Thank you."

I giggle. "Don't mention it." I wave my hand toward the triplets. "These are our new friends, Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup."

"Nice to meet you." He turns to me. "How was school?"

I smile. "Good. I got to tell the story about 'Fensor at school."

"The one where you saved them?" I nod. "Oh, Mari…"

I hug the minicon as tight as I can. "I'm fine, Fixie."

"That's good." He starts for our bedroom. ~Want me to get the room ready?~

~ _For the last time, Fixit, you're not my slave. You don't even HAVE to feed my symbiote, but I'm glad you do._ ~ I sigh softly. ~ _No. We'll do it together, once we're in there. I do want you to get your stuff picked up so it doesn't get broken, though._ ~

~I'll get right on that!~ He runs off toward the room.

I blink quickly, trying not to cry.

* * *

 _I take Fixit's hands and help him off the medical berth before moving to where I'm in front of him. "Slowly, now. It's going to take a little while before you can do it on your own."_

 _"I know. Just be careful. I don't want to hurt my bitlets."_

 _"We'll be careful, Mini-Mech." I start walking backwards, my tiny doorwings acting as my eyes as I help the minicon take his first steps. "Just put one foot in front of the other. Don't worry about falling right now, because I'll catch you if you start to."_

 _"Thanks…" I let his hands go, but keep them hovering close—just in case—as I take a couple steps back._

 _"I don't know if I can do this…"_

 _"Just take it slow, Mini-Mech." I smile. " The smile on your face lets me know that you need me, there's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me. "_

 _His optics light up when he recognizes the song. "The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall…" He sets one tiny pede in front of the other. "Keep going?"_

 _I nod. " You say it best, when you say nothing at all. "_

 _All day long I can hear people talking out loud,  
_ _But when you hold me near, you drown out the crowd.  
_ _Old Mr. Webster could never define,  
_ _What's being said between your heart and mine._

 _He takes a couple shaky steps before joining me. " The smile on your face lets me know that you need me, there's a truth in your eyes saying you'll never leave me… " A few more wobbly steps—each one steadier than the one before. He looks up from the floor to meet my own optics with his as he reaches out to grab my outstretched hand. " The touch of your hand says you'll catch me if ever I fall… " Two more steps, and he's in my arms. " You say it best, when you say nothing at all. "_

 _I hold his helm to my chest and smile down at him. "You did it, Mini-Mech."_

 _"You two can go back to your quarters." We look up at Ratchet. "Mari… I'm trusting you. Don't let him over-do it. He's still in the middle of a high-risk carriage."_

 _"I'll be careful with him, Ratch." I smirk down at the minicon in my arms. "Trust me, neither of us want him on berth rest again. He's not the easiest patient, you know."_

 _Ratchet chuckles. "I know."_

 _I shrug. "Then again, doctors—and nurses—always make the worst patients." I look down to Fixit. "Want me to carry you, or—"_

 _"I wanna walk."_

* * *

"Mari?"

I start and turn to find Blossom's hand on my shoulder, and Bubbles standing in front of me. "You okay? You're crying."

I giggle and rub the tears off my face. "Happy crying." I sigh softly. "Fixie couldn't walk when he first came to us, Bubbles. Sometimes I cry when I see him walk or run."

"So…"

~ _Bee, get over here! It's time to show them around the base! ~_

~ _ **Coming!**_ ~ He picks up Light and falls into step with me as I start for our room. ~ _ **Where's Fixit?**_ ~

~ _He's cleaning up his things so we don't break them. You know he works in our room sometimes._ ~ I scoop up D-Wave, who giggles and grabs at my hair.

~ **Especially if Ratchet's working on something dangerous.** ~

~ _Yep._ ~ I turn to the girls with a smile. "So, that was our main room. We've got a sitting area for any humans who come to visit on the platform across from the monitors. The medical bay is to the right, and Carrier and Sire's room is on the left. Then there's a bot bathroom on the right, and Ratchet and Red's room on the left, then an empty room followed by our playroom on the right, and Aunt Cee and Uncle Cliff's room on the left." We pass the end of the rooms on the right. I point to the left. "That's Jazz and Prowl's room, with Lyre's inside, and Bulky's room." We reach a lone room on the corner. "That's our laundry room."

We lead them around another corner, and Bee takes over our monologue, pointing right, then left as we go down this hall. "That's empty, that's just a giant elevator… There's a small indoor pool in there, that's empty…" Now he points solely to the left as we pass the youngling quarters. "That's Cee's kids' room—it has a door to Aunt Cee's—Blue's room, Snowy's room…" Solely to the right. "Human kitchen." We walk up a little more, and he opens the door. "This is our room."

"Hi, Fixit." I smile and scratch Glimmer behind her ear. "You can put your things up, then we'll show you around the rest of the base."

"Who's this?"

"This is our Cyber-cat, Glimmer. She's sentient."

"Senti-what?"

Blossom giggles. "Sent-i-ent, Buttercup. It means she's able to feel and understand."

"She can talk too, she just doesn't like to." Fixit turns to me. "Can I come?"

I nod as the trio tosses their bags onto the floor beside our large berth. "Come on."

Star takes over the monologue. "Over there's the security room, and that's our training room." We walk around two more corners. "This is our storage hall, so it's not too impressive."

"But there is a human bathroom in the second-to-last room. We also have one in our bedroom."

"They like to live in their pretender forms because of Mari's and Star's past." Fixit explains.

I nod. "Now, we need to get back to the "giant elevator", which is really a 'quipment elevator, and go down to the basement." Once we step off the elevator, I nod to Fixit.

He smiles before taking over. "Optimus built a skating rink down here because Mari likes to skate and Star likes to be active in general, so that's right in front of us. There's an indoor playground sized to fit both their pretender and Cybertronian forms on the right, followed by a game room. We walk straight, then around a corner before he continues. "The two rooms on the left are empty at the moment, though they've been encouraging me to choose one for a lab… The door on the left leads to a large indoor pool. There's another Cybertronian bathroom on the left, and a larger training room, called the "Safe", on the right. We've got different holoform projections to keep our soldiers combat-ready—and train new scouts—" He winks at Bee. "To fight as well. So far, everyone but my brothers and sisters have been allowed to use it on its higher levels, though our rescue teams are seldom here to use its disaster training settings."

I smirk. "We've used it for simple things, like practicing with our powers under Ratchet's watch, but we've never been allowed to fight anything worse than the Joker or Bizarro, thank the All Spark." Bee gives me a look. "I don't want to fight, Bee. You and I being superheroes is one thing, being soldiers is another. I've already fought one war, in case you forgot, and I don't want to fight another." I look down at my tiny hands, remembering when they were larger, and covered in Hot Spot's energon after Lockdown attacked in my old dimension. "These hands have already killed _once_ , and once is one time too many."

"Mari…"

"No, Bee. I don't want to be cheered up. Bad guy or not, he didn't deserve to be melted alive." I sigh heavily. "Sorry about the weighty topic there, guys…"

Blossom gasps. "You killed someone?"

Buttercup grins. "Who!?"

Bubbles gives me a sad look. "Why did you kill him? What did he do?"

I sigh softly. "His name was Lockdown, and he was a bounty hunter after me and Fixit—Fix because we kinda stole him from the council—and before you comment on _that_ , the council was using minicons as slaves, so we _saved_ him." I sigh. "And he shot Hot Spot in the back when they were merged as Defensor. Spot almost died to save me, and I ended the mech who hurt him before he could actually kill him. I'm not proud of myself, but I do feel relieved that he's not still around to hurt my family." I nod to our minicon. ~ _Fixit?_ ~

~I've got my own stories—~

~ _Tour first, stories tonight._ ~ I smile and squeeze his three-fingered hand. ~ _Besides, I know which story you want to tell, and it's too long for right now._ ~

~Okay…~ He sighs softly and waves to the left. "There's another medical bay, just in case someone gets hurt while training, another set of monitors in case something happens up top…" He sighs heavily. "And the med-bay."

"Thank you, Fixit." I hug him. "And I know how hard it had to be for you to say that without glitching."

"Why would he—"

I turn to Blossom with a soft sigh. "Fixit's glitch, like Prowl's and Red's, gets worse when he gets upset."

"Prowl and Red have a glitch?"

"What's a glitch?"

"A glitch is a mental disability of some sort. Prowl crashes—like a computer, but fixable—when something illogical happens, and Red fritzes—panics—or crashes when his hyper-vigilance gets too extreme. Fixit has an issue with anxiety on top of his vocal glitch, but it's not bad enough for him to get as bad as Red as often as Red does. I think he's only crashed about…four times…and he doesn't fritz like Red does, so I haven't brought it up with Ratchet. I've just been handling it on my own."

~ _ **Ratchet's gonna be mad when he finds out, Mari.**_ ~

~ _I know, Bee._ ~ I sigh heavily. "I don't plan to _let_ him find out."


	2. Birthday Party

Birthday Party

 **12:30 PM**

I lead the girls back to our room, and pull our outfits out of the closet. I turn to Bee and give him his before we all duck (back) into the closet to get changed.

Star and I change into a red long sleeved T-shirt, a white short sleeved dress with a ruffle at the hem and a red fire truck graphic, red tights, and white canvas Mary Jane shoes while Bee changes into a red long sleeved T-shirt, a white short sleeved T-shirt with a red fire truck graphic, red jeans, red socks, and white canvas tennis shoes, then Star and I help the Twinlets into theirs.

We step back out of the closet, Bee and I once again with our arms full of sparkle components—even though they're about on-level with a three-year-old human—and smile at the triplets as Star opens the door. "We'll be back. Feel free play with whatever, just make sure nothing gets broken."

Blossom dives for me. "Wait!"

Bubbles steps over. "Where is everyone, if we wanted to play with the others?"

I smile. "Red takes Snowy into the security room with him—careful, though. He's very jumpy around humans. Cee and Jazz are probably in the training room with Electra, Lecto, Lyre, and Blue. They're already scouts, and Blue wants to be a sniper—he's a technical pacifist, but he wants to fight back after his home got destroyed."

"Is Fixit going with you?"

~ _Do you want to?_ ~

~Will your sire let me?~

~ _ **He'll have to if we say.**_ ~

~ _You're a part of us, Goofball._ ~

~ **You call us your brothers and sisters,…** ~

~ _ **And you're part of Starlight, even if it's a small part.**_ ~

~Can I?~

His tone in the bond is so heartbreaking that I can't say no. ~ _Come on._ ~

~I need to get my hat.~

I nod, and motion for him to get it. It's a brown hat like what reporters would wear in the thirties. Bee got it from Clark Kent, AKA Superman, when Sire took us to visit the Daily Planet in Metropolis. Not that it's important right now, but Sire's holoform is about as important in America as Bruce Wayne is in the world, and that's saying something. "Yes, he is."

The three of us run out and clamber into Sire's waiting vehicle mode. Fixit settles in the middle while Bee, Star and I share the passenger seat with the twinlets. We only get to do this in Sire because he's too tall for the cops to see into, and not even Agent Fowler knows he does it.

"Seatbelts, Little Ones."

I grab the belt and hand it to Bee while Fixit fixes his own. "Buckled!"

"Ratchet, please activate the ground bridge."

* * *

 **Griffin Rock, Maine**

We pull out of the ground bridge and make the short trip to the ferry before pulling onto it. The trip doesn't take long, and soon we're pulling onto the dock. "Just call when you're ready to head back, Mr. Prime!" Sire's holoform waves out the window.

It's barely five minutes before we're pulling up to the firehouse. "Optimus!"

Sire opens his door and lets Bee, Fix, and I out before transforming. "Hello, Cody."

"Hi, Cody!" We run over and hug him together, causing him to fall backwards. "We're five today!"

"We one!"

"I know." He chuckles as he gets back to his feet. "Wow, you guys pack a punch."

I giggle. "We're kinda supposed to."

Bee giggles. "Wouldn't be good if we didn't."

"Just ask Blades!"

Cody chuckles again. "The bots are in the bunker, Optimus. I'm gonna go let Dad know you're here!"

"Can we go to the bunker?"

Sire sighs before nodding. "Come on. We have to let them know we are ready for them to join us."

I look up at Sire with a small smile. "Can we get them? On our own?"

"Yes, but be careful."

"We will!" We run into the garage. "Come on, Fixit!"

~ _Shhhh…_ ~

~Why?~

~ _ **We're gonna sneak up on them.**_ ~

~ **We're gonna surprise them!** ~

~ _Follow me._ ~

~Yes, Ma'am.~

~ _Fixit…_ ~

~Sorry…~

We tiptoe over to the sink and crouch down. ~ _Fixit, stay put. Your knees will make too much noise on the cement. Bumbee, Star, with me, quietly._ ~

~ _ **Wha' 'bout Ligh' an' me?**_ ~

~ _If you can be quiet, twinsies._ ~

~ _We can!_ ~

~ _Then come on, quietly…_ ~ We crawl to the end of the counter and I peek around and through the doorway. ~ _They're all watching TV—I think some game show…_ ~

~ _ **Well, what are we waiting for? A theme song?**_ ~

~ _The right time, Goofball._ ~ I duck back seconds before Streetwise glances our way. ~ _You almost messed up my timing._ ~

~ _ **Guess it's a good thing we're connected then, huh?**_ ~

~ _Yeah, now shhhh… I need to concentrate._ ~ I peek back out, then duck back again. ~ _If we move quickly enough, we can hide beside the couch, but we have to be QUIET about it._ ~

~ _ **Can do.**_ ~

~ **Got it!** ~

~ _ **I do good!**_ ~

~ _Let's go!_ ~

I stick my head out one more time before nodding once, then dart to the side of the couch with Bee on my rear. ~ _Good. I don't think they saw us._ ~

~Why are we sneaking up on a team who all almost had their sparks stop once before?~

~ _They're 100% healthy now, Fix, or we wouldn't be sneaking up on them to begin with._ ~ I point up slightly. ~ _One…_ ~

~ _ **Two…**_ ~ We deactivate our holoforms.

~ **Three!** ~ We jump up beside the arm of the red couch. "Boo!"

Blades practically jumps out of his protoform, which had been our goal in the first place. "What the frag!?"

Hot Spot scowls, and glares at his youngest brother. He's carrying, and due within the month, so we're not too surprised about the glare. "Blades, language!" He waves toward us. "Sparklings present!"

Streetwise laughs. "We're lucky she didn't scare you into labor, Spot!"

Groove shakes her head. "Not possible…I don't think…"

"He's due any day now, Groove, so they could have, but I don't think they did…" First Aid smiles over at us. "Where did you all come from?"

I giggle. "Upstairs."

Bee grins. "Sire sent us down to get you. We're almost ready to have our party back in Nevada, and you're all coming."

Blades starts for the door. "I need to go get Heatwave, then. He's lying down with Brightfire."

Groove sighs. "Someone needs to find Chase, too."

"He and Boulder are out back with Destiny. I'll go get them."

"Thanks, Street." Hot Spot crouches to our level. "Where's Fixit?"

"Around the corner. His knees aren't padded like ours were."

Fixit's voice comes from behind us. "Not anymore."

I smile. "We've got friends staying overnight!"

"You do? That's great. I can't wait to meet them."

"They have powers, just like we do!"

"That's so cool!" I nod, and whimper as the story I'd told earlier comes to mind. "What's wrong, Little Bit?"

Star pipes up from where she's holding the twinlets' hands. "She told the story of how she saved you guys at preschool this morning."

"Oh…" He scoops me up and holds me against his chest, then reaches down and boosts Fixit to the shoulder of the arm I'm in, then boosts Light and D-Wave to the arm I'm in, and Star to his other shoulder, before finally picking Bee up and holding him on his hip. "Why don't we go find your Sire, Sweetsparks?"

I shake my head and shift in his arms to where my audio is resting against his chest. "Needs you wigh' now, no' Siwe."

"I'm sure your sire feels very loved right now."

I shift to where I can see, and grin. "Waves!"

"Sorry you weren't able to get much of a nap."

Heatwave shakes his head. "Don't worry about it. It's not every day we get to go to Omega One, Hot Spot."

"True…"

Chase walks in with Destiny on his hip. "Why are you holding Mariposa?"

Streetwise practically darts over to us. "What's wrong with Mari?"

Hot Spot sighs. "She told her class how she saved our lives this morning. You know how traumatizing it was for her."

Streetwise gives me a concerned look. "You okay, Little Bit?"

I look up at him with a smile. "I is now." My face scrunches up suddenly in concern. "You not pushy yourself too hard, wight? You know you ovewheat." I turn to Aid. "An' you…no short-outs, wight?" I glance to Blades. "No panics on calls? No gety hurts? Gwoove? No ouchies?" I look up to Hot Spot. "Backs okays? No troubles wif combines?"

Streetwise shakes his head. "I haven't."

First Aid smiles, almost smirking. "I'm fine, Mari."

Blades shakes his head. "I'm still nervous, but I haven't had a panic attack."

Groove smiles. "I'm good."

Hot Spot chuckles. "I always knew you'd be like Aid. We're all fine, Sweetspark."

I turn to the other three rescue bots. "Waves okays? Chasey? Bou'der?"

Heatwave nods with a slight smile. "We're fine, Mari."

"Sparkles?"

"They're fine too, Little One."

I know he'd normally be really cranky with any other medic over all the questions, so I look down at Hot Spot's chest. "I sowwy I askie so much…I jus'—"

"You just care." Heatwave runs a hand over my head. "It's okay, Little One. He makes a face. "It's annoying when _someone_ does that all the time, but you're not here all the time."

I giggle, and do my best to look stern. "No pickys on Aidie! He jus' cawes!"

"I know…"

"Mariposa. Bumblebee. Brightstar. Dreamwave. Lightstorm."

I squeal. "Siwe!"

Bee grins. "We're in here!"

"Hot Spot has us!"

Sire sticks his head in, and smiles at Hot Spot's appearance. "You seem to have your hands full."

"We woves Spot, Siwe!"

"I know, Sweetspark." His tone changes, like it always does when he's talking to the troops. "Rescue Bots, get your partners and prepare to roll out." The Rescue Bots head for the elevator platform. "Protectobots…" His tone softens again. "Would you like to ride with Defensor, Sweetsparks?"

I nod, grinning. "Fixie an' I get Spot!"

"Bumblebee?"

"Can I ride with Streets?"

"Of course."

"I get Gwoves!"

I turn from Hot Spot to semi-glare at the femme. "Don't hurt my sister."

"I won't, Little Bit."

"Blades…"

The mech takes the twins from Hot Spot. "I'll be careful, Optimus. Dani made sure I have car seats for them." He starts for the platform so he can join Dani.

He goes back to the commanding tone. "First Aid, I want Cody to ride with you."

"Yes, Sir."

I squeal. "Let's roll!"

* * *

 **Autobot Base Omega One**

We pull through the Ground Bridge one at a time. Once we're all through, Ratchet closes the ground bridge, and we all climb out to find everyone in the base either on the ground (the adult bots) or on the platform (younglings, Agent Fowler, Ms. Olivia, Glimmer, and the PowerPuff Girls). Kade's holding a baby carrier, and Charlie's got a little girl on his hip and a car seat in his other hand. Dani's holding two car seats, while D-Wave and Light stand in front of her. Bee, Star, the twinlets, and I return to our normal forms and watch as the group of rescue bots transform.

There's pink, purple, teal, orange, and yellow streamers on the yellow metal bars around the platforms, and balloons in the same colors where the streamers are taped to the bars. A large wooden table—most likely something Agent Fowler found in one of the older storage rooms—is standing off to one side with a pink, purple, teal, orange, and yellow striped cloth on it, and streamers and balloons taped to it as well. There's a huge pile of presents on the table in several colors, mostly pink and yellow, with some blue and green, each one with a bright colored bow on top. I can immediately spot the one from the PowerPuff girls—it's wrapped in black, and has a pink, blue, and green ribbon and bow on it.

Bubbles zips down to us. "Welcome back!"

Buttercup crosses her arms. "Who're they?"

Blossom sighs and shakes her head. She looks like a cross between amused and annoyed. "I'm sure she'll tell us once she's ready, Buttercup."

Hot Spot can't help but smile, recognizing the girl's plight. "Siblings?"

Blossom simply nods as I open my mouth to speak, but before I get the chance, Carrier does. "You five need to come with me so you can get ready for your party."

Carrier follows us into our bedroom and pulls out our new outfits before laying them on the bed. She helps me into a long sleeved white T-shirt with black and white ruffles on the shoulders and light pink bows with a sequin "5" and white leggings, then holds out a black and white tutu with a light pink hem and bow and a light pink waistband for me to step into. Once I'm dressed, I sit on the bed and pull on a new pair of black patent leather fashion boots, then step over to the mirror and slip a silver Happy Birthday tiara with light pink feathers on the base into my hair while Carrier helps Bee.

When I turn back to him, he's wearing a long sleeved white t-shirt with a blue shimmery "5", black jeans, white socks, and black tennis shoes. He steps over beside me at the mirror and sets a silver happy birthday crown with light blue feathers on the base on his head. Star joins us, and I help her slip hers in, while Carrier finishes with the twinlets and sets them on their tiny feet. Besides the numbers, we're dressed identically. We LOVE dressing alike.

"Ready?"

I nod, and grin. "Ready."

* * *

 **Main Room, 1:00 PM**

We step into the main room. More presents have joined the already huge pile on the table, but these are wrapped in either yellow paper with either bumblebees or butterflies on it, or the Rescue Bots colors, or pink paper with both on it, more than likely from the Protectobots. We shift back to our normal forms before we run up the stairs to the platform together. By now, Fixit's joined Glimmer on the platform, and is talking to Boulder.

"Now…" I sigh softly as the humans—besides Agent Fowler and the Burns—turn to me curiously. The girls are now wearing cap sleeved blouses and heart print white jumpers in their colors, with their braids down, leaving the hair in wavy pigtails. "The red mech talking to my sire is Heatwave, and that's Brightstar in his arms. His partner is Kade—that's the guy in the yellow fireman clothes…who's glaring at me for some unknown reason." I scowl back at him. "The blue and white guy talking to Prowl with a femmeling on his hip is Chase, and the femmeling is Destiny. His partner is Charlie, the policeman over there. The green guy by Fixit is Boulder. He's Destiny's sire. His partner is the blonde guy with the tie. That's Graham. Cody's the blonde boy, and Dani's the redhead in the black flight suit." I sigh heavily, slightly sad even though I'm still smiling. Hot Spot picks this up and lays a hand on my shoulder, causing me to look up at him. " _ **It's okay, Mari. We're right here.**_ "

~ _I know, Spot… It's just… so real right now…_ ~

" _ **You're not the only one who thinks that, Femmeling.**_ "

I sigh softly and point up. "This is Hot Spot, the smaller mech with Ratchet and Red Alert is First Aid, the black and white guy talking with Prowl and Chase is Streetwise, the silver girl with them is Groove, and the orange and white guy with the rotors is Blades."

"The one who used to be like Buttercup?"

Hot Spot looks down at me. "They're superheroes—the PowerPuff Girls. Blossom's the one in pink, she's their leader. Bubbles is the one in blue…" I look around. "Talking to my Cyber-cat _in_ cat. She's the "joy and the laughter", as the theme song goes, but she's mostly like Aid—kind and caring, and doesn't like to fight as much. Buttercup…" I sigh softly. "She's the one in the green, and she's their brawler."

"When did you notice that?"

I shrug. "When I was telling the story about them earlier, Blossom." I giggle. "I'm not as good as Streets, but I _do_ have hyper-awareness."

"How did you know…"

I smile, knowing immediately what she's asking. "I've seen you on TV before. We watch it all the time."

"Oh… Cool!"

Carrier clears her throat to get everyone's attention. "Okay, everyone! We're going to start with a few party games, then we'll have snacks and get to presents." We all run down to Carrier.

* * *

 **1:30 PM**

After several games using both normal and holoforms—normal games like hide-and-seek and Simon says, as well as quieter games like pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey—'cept we used a turbo-fox—and musical chairs, Carrier heads back to get the snacks and cake from the kitchen. We all look up when an alarm sounds, and green lights start flashing. "What's going on?"

"It's okay, Bubbles." She looks over to where Bee, Star, and I are leaning on the metal bars on the edge of the platform—Dani and Groove are holding the twinlets to keep them from going too close to the edge. We're all in holoform now—even Glimmer—just waiting for the cake. "Mari?"

"Proximity alarm. Someone's coming."

Ratchet sighs and turns to us. "It's just your aunt, Sweetspark."

"Late again." I huff. "She's always late when it comes to getting to base."

"I'll open the doors for them." He mutters as he stalks off to do just that.

"Your Aunt?"

"Star's Warmth and her son. They tend to avoid the base as a rule, because they want to stay out of the war." We all look up when a teal jet flies into the room and transforms, followed by a blue car. They quickly shift to holoform, and Daybreaker puts a pink and yellow polka-dot present with the others.

Carrier walks back in with the cake, along with paper plates and plastic forks, and grins at the sight of her older sister. She sets everything down on a table on the platform and shifts to holoform to hug her before leading the others up to the platform.

We all gather around the table with the cake on it. It's a white two-tier cake with spring green fondant icing on the bottom layer and light blue fondant icing on the top layer, with pink and white flowers with yellow and blue centers, ladybugs, bumblebees, and butterflies over the entire cake, and halves of white flowers with alternating yellow and blue centers around the bases of both layers. She's got butterfly and bumblebee shaped candles all around on the top, lit and flickering brightly.

They sing to us, then the five of us lean forward and blow out the candles together. Carrier pulls out a cake server and starts slicing the cake. "Everyone gets a piece."

"Everyone but Glimmer." I pull out a plastic cup of cat food and open it before kneeling to her. "She gets Ocean Fish-a-Licious." I giggle. "They named it silly, Carrier!"

Carrier nods and hands me the first plate with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, then hands the next to Bee, and the third to Star. We rush over to the coffee table in front of the couch and settle on our knees before digging into our cake as Sire sets the twinlets' cake between Bee and I, and the two holding them sets them with us. We're soon joined by the others, while Fixit settles on the couch behind us, and Glimmer stays by the cake with her smelly cat food.

It's not long before we're done, and Sire moves our five youngling-sized chairs, designed to look like Fairytale thrones, down to the main level. Once everyone returns to their normal forms, they settle around us in a half-circle while Carrier steps over to hand out the presents.

The first ones are large boxes wrapped in our colors with the other's color on the bow. Star's is purple with a pink bow. "This one is from your Sire and I, and only for the older three."

I nod, and turn to the present on my lap before lifting off the lid. Inside are little cannons, specifically meant as a first weapon for scouts, and a handle of some sort. "Wow…"

Star gives the weapons in the box a skeptical look. "I'm really going to fight…"

Bee grins up at Carrier and Sire. "Cool, Sire!"

I look up as Sire steps over to us, and wave him down. "Is that really…what I think it is?"

"It uses energon, otherwise…yes, Sweetspark."

"Did you really talk to the Jedi council?" We all five have the force, and we'd been set up with a Master by the Jedi council, but he'd had to go back to the temple, then we had the exodus, so now he can't find us, and we weren't able to get our training. I still miss Master Yoda some days…

"Yes."

"So…it'll be blue?"

"It will depend on the energon used to power it."

"Blue, purple, or red then… hmmm… Blue."

"We could get some crystals from them if you want a green one, Mari."

"Please?" I smile. "Not that I don't like blue, but… It's the meaning behind the green…"

Sire chuckles softly at my curiosity before moving to get the next set of packages. These are wrapped in green and blue, with lighter colored bows on top. "These are from Ratchet and Red Alert."

"An' me."

I nod to the white femmeling before lifting the top off my box at the same time my siblings do. "A medical kit?"

Snowfire smiles up at us. "Bee's is a first aid kit, just in case someone gets hurt while he's there, and the twins' are toys. Mari's and Star's are real medical kits."

"Oh…cool."

"Thanks, Ratch…" I open the kit and smile when I see the metallic pink soft grips on the tools. "Really…" I smile up at him. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Little One." He turns to Bee. "And I'll get your new cannons installed once you're out of school for the week."

"Thanks, Ratchet!"

The next set of boxes are pink and yellow striped. "These are from Arcee and Cliffjumper." We nod and open the lids. I let out a soft gasp as Bee gapes. Star simply grins. We turn to each other with smiles before looking back into the boxes and pulling out what looks like metal dolls. Pink for me, Yellow for Bee and Star, and pink/blue for the twinlets. The PowerPuffs seem surprised that a little boy is excited about getting a doll, but they don't comment as we cuddle the toys.

Bulkhead steps over with five metal lockers, like what they have in the public schools, that match our armor, and sets them beside us before moving back to where he was sitting. I know they're for us to keep our desk stuff in, because we'd been getting confused with one desk and two of us, with which was which. It happens with identical stuffs.

* * *

 **2:00 PM**

It's been almost half an hour, and we're almost done. Prowl and Jazz got us all a new CD player with his money from the police station, and Aunt Star and Day got us a complete collection from our favorite Earth musicians. We've gotten a lot of activity kits from the Rescue Bots and Protectobots, as well as a board game set from Boulder, a toy doctor kit and a toy tool kit from Aid, and an I Spy book collection from Streetwise. Fowler gave us each a really nice wooden art kit, Kade gave us each a velvet poster to color, Dani got me and Star each a lip gloss making it, and gave Bee a tattoo set, and gave the twins large stuffed bears, and Graham got us a science kit.

Blades has also taken over handing out presents for some unknown reason. We're handed the black package next. I break the ribbons while Bee pulls them off, then we all three start in on the paper. Inside is all four Alvin and the Chipmunks movies, and the corresponding soundtracks. "Thanks!" Bee elbows me. "Mari?" ~ _ **I thought you—wait, you're having a flashback, aren't you?**_ ~

~ _A-Aaron broked my old Chip-wrecked CD that day, Bumbee…_ ~

~ **I still remember how you sounded on the phone that morning…** ~

~ _ **We got a new one now, Flutterby. It's all right. You're safe now. Sire's here.**_ ~

~ _ **Meany Butt's gone now, Sissy.**_ ~

~ _It's just us an' Papa's fwien's._ ~

I take a deep breath and look up to the girls with tears in the corners of my eyes, but a smile on my face. "Thanks, guys…"

Bubbles steps up to us nervously. "What's wrong?"

Bee smiles slightly. "She has PTSD from emotional abuse in her old dimension." Ms. Olivia gasps in shock, while the PowerPuff Girls share horrified looks. When they turn back to us, Blossom looks shocked, Bubbles looks like she's about to cry, and Buttercup looks ready to fight. Blades, in a startling motion, whirls around and gives Buttercup a look I haven't seen on him since right after we officially met. " _Stop_."

Buttercup crosses her arms and glares at him. "Why?"

He sighs, and crouches to her level. "Trust me, I _wanted_ to kill him _more times than you can possibly imagine_ Buttercup, but _it won't solve anything_ , _especially now_ , and Mari didn't want him harmed _even if_ it would have changed something." He straightens up to face his surprised siblings. "What? She looked like she wanted to kill someone, and Mari—."

First Aid rushes over and hugs him. "I'm proud of you, Blades."

I giggle at the whole scene, causing everyone to turn to us again. "For someone who _also_ wanted to kill my human Dad, you're one to talk, Aidie."

The PowerPuffs blink. "He did what?"

"He threatened to kill my human father too, after one particularly nasty verbal bashing. It _was_ funny watching Blades and Spot trying to keep Aid from murder, when he's so against it."

Blades shakes his head before kneeling down with two similarly shaped packages in his hands, before turning to grab a third, matching package and two differently-shaped but still identical to each other packages. "These are from Cody. He's been delivering papers for a month so he could get you these."

Cody glares at the helicopter. "Blades!"

Bee and I share a look and a giggle, then I turn to the preteen. "Cody… you didn't have to get us anything…"

Bee nods. "You know that, right?"

"We're fine with what we have, Cody."

"I know…" He rubs the back of his neck. "You were just…so excited about them last time you came…"

We open the packages and grin. He'd gotten Star and I each a Beados set and a can of extra beads, and Bee Quixels and a can of extra cubes. The twins got finger-painting kits. I squeal happily as Bee screams. "Thanks, Cody!"

"Dani…if you could help me?"

Dani nods, and starts for the table before climbing the helicopter's leg freehand. Blades has a hand under her, of course, but he's otherwise uncaring—like he's used to her doing this. Once she's inside his cockpit, he turns to the last box and sets it in front of us. It's wrapped in orange, and has a red fire truck print. Blades picks up the box and sets it in front of us, but keeps a hand on it until he feels a knock on his window. "Don't touch it." I reach a finger over teasingly. "I mean it."

I huff and jerk my hand back. "Okay…"

He reaches up as he opens his cockpit, and cups his hands around Dani. "Close your eyes."

"Okay!" We squeeze our optics tight, and hold out our arms. It's only a few seconds before a squirming ball of fluff is placed in them.

"Okay, open!"

We open our eyes and squeal. "Puppy!"

I giggle and hug it to me. "Dawmation!"

"Dog!"

"Fwuff!"

"Yay!"

Bee huffs. "My turn!" He takes the puppy carefully and hugs it.

"Me now!" Star hugs her before holding her out so the twinlets could each hug her—gently, of course.

Charlie steps over with a smile. "You like her?" We nod quickly. "She's allowed to come with you when you visit, but you guys will need to take care of her."

"Thank you!"

"What are you gonna name her?"

~ _ **Spot?**_ ~

I scowl. ~ _Too ordinary… Dottie?_ ~

~ **Ew, too…old-sounding. Puddles?** ~

Bee makes a disgusted face. ~ _ **Yeuck!**_ ~

~ _Marshal?_ ~

~ _ **That's a boy dog name!**_ ~

~ _Okay, okay, calm down. What about—_ ~

We all speak at the same time. "Patches."

"I like it." Charlie lays a hand on the box. "We've got everything you'll need to start taking care of her in here, so you don't need to open it out here."


	3. Sleepover Party

Sleepover Party

Sire steps over to give out the afternoon's orders, but Blades waves his hands. "WAIT!" Everyone turns to him, and Hot Spot moves to either 'thwack' or reprimand his youngest brother. "We have one more, for the triplets." Hot Spot raises an eyebrow ridge. "The Rescue Bots do." Hot Spot and Sire nod, and Blades pulls out a card before handing it to us.

"I still don't understand why I had to be the one Boulder drew on the card, Blades."

Blades waves a hand flippantly at Heatwave. "Because Mari likes fire trucks, just…hush." He kneels to me. "Want me to read it? I know it's probably hard for younglings to read Dani's handwriting."

Dani crosses her arms and glares. "Blades!"

Graham chuckles. "He has a point. The triplets just turned five."

The three of us giggle at Dani and Graham before nodding to Blades. "Okay…" He takes the card, made big enough for bots to handle, and starts to read. "It says, 'Happy birthday from the Rescue Bots'." He opens it. "'One last special present on your birthday, Kids. We have decided that the two of you will be given formal Rescue Bot training starting the next time you come to Griffin Rock. Hot Spot has the required safety gear waiting for you in the bunker. We can't wait to train you'!"

Bee, Star, and I look at each other before looking up to the two fire-bots. "Really?"

I blink my eyes, knowing I'm about to start crying all over again. "Y-you really wanna t-teach m-me?"

Heatwave crouches to me and runs a hand over my head before wiping the lone escaped tear off my cheek. "Of course, Sweetspark…"

"Thank you…" I reach up and hug him, accidentally knocking Patches to the ground. "Oops… Sorry, Patch…" I giggle, and release Heatwave to pick up the downed puppy and set her back on her little paws. "That wasn't s'pposed to happen…"

Sire steps up. "Younglings, you may go downstairs to play. Rescue teams, return to Griffin Rock and resume your own mission. Jazz, you and Arcee will be going to check the last known location of the Decepticons. Prowl, you will be watching the younglings. Everyone else has patrols."

* * *

 **2:15 PM**

Blossom turns to us once we're sitting on the swing set in the basement playroom. "Is it always like that here?"

I shrug. "Sort of. Dad's the leader." I smile. "Prowl's his second-in-command, and really, the only sitter besides Ratchet he trusts with us."

Buttercup crosses her arms. "What was in those boxes, anyway?"

Bee and I share a look, and he grins. "We're younglings now, so we got our first weapons."

"Weapons?"

I wave my hand in the air flippantly. "War tradition for younglings."

Bee sighs softly. "I remember when the others got theirs. It's always based on what the creators know about their younglings."

I nod. "Blue got a sniper rifle, Snowy got an energon pulse cannon and energon blades, Lyre got an acid pellet gun like her Carrier's and a set of ninja blades like her Sire. Electro got cannons like his Sire's, just scaled down, and Electra got arm blades like their Carrier."

Buttercup huffs. "Well, what did you two get?"

Blossom sighs. "Be nice, Buttercup. Maybe they don't want to tell us yet."

I shake my head. "It's fine, Blossom." I turn to Buttercup. "We got small silver cannons with two blasters each, which means four per bot, and energon lightsabers. We won't get weapons for Starlight until we're nine, _if_ the war's still going on."

* * *

 **7:00 PM**

"Younglings, it is time to go upstairs."

Buttercup looks up from where she's crawling under one of the slides. "Aww! But I was having fun!"

I crouch to the slide and sigh softly. "I was too, but we never argue with Prowl."

She crosses her arms. "Why not?"

Star sighs from her crouched position on the other side of the slide. "Because it's not logical to disobey adults, and he's the one who crashes if things don't make sense."

Bee crouches beside me. "Yeah… Ratchet's _really_ angry when someone makes him crash, too."

Blossom sighs. "Just come on, Buttercup."

We brush our teeth—the five of us using our special fluoride-free toothpaste—well, Bee and I help the twinlets once we've finished—and change into our pajamas. The PowerPuff Girls have T-shirts and shorts in their colors, while I'm wearing a pink T-shirt with a butterfly graphic and matching butterfly print shorts, and Bee wears a yellow T-shirt with a bumblebee graphic and matching bumblebee print shorts. Star has Beauty and the Beast pajamas with crown print shorts, and the twinlets have aqua and orange shorts romper pajamas with teddy bear prints.

We give our new puppy love for the night before making sure she's comfy in her new bed, then climb into our own.

Once we're in our berth with Fixit curled on one side in the back like he does when we recharge in holoform (which is whenever we're going somewhere as a human the next day), I call Glimmer to us and watch as the now normal-sized, three foot tall cyber-cat curls up at our feet. We each have a twin beside us, with Star in the center, but I know we'll be piled up by morning.

Carrier and Sire step in and hand us our blankies and stuffed animals—mine's butterflies, Bee's is bumblebees, Star's is ladybugs, and the twinlets have a unicorn and dragon—and watch us curl up on our pillow-pets—again, mine is a butterfly, Bee's is a bumblebee, etc…—before covering us with our yellow and pink blankets. They kiss our foreheads and slip our pacifiers into our mouths—we may be five, but we still use them—then crouch to say goodnight to the PowerPuff Girls before leaving through the door that connects us to their room.

"Did you guys have fun today?"

Blossom rolls over to face us even though she can't see me. I usually sleep in between Bee and Fixit. "Yeah. What about you guys? Did you have a good birthday?"

"Yep." Bee sighs before rolling over to smile at them. "I can't wait to start scout training next week!"

"I can't wait to get back to medic training. I've missed it since the war started." I smile. "I'm really excited to start our Rescue Bots training, though. I can't wait to work with Aidie!"

"Me neither." Bee rolls back over to face me. "Goodnight, guys."

"Goodnight."

"Hey." Buttercup sits up. "Why were you and Light so happy to get a doll, Bee?"

He sighs softly. "I'm a carrier mechling, and he's a sparkling."

I sit up and lean over Bee to the edge of the bed. "Our kind has Mech and Femme—boy and girl—but they also have subsets to the mech gender, since only one in thirteen is a femme. Carrier mechs essentially have both genders, while Sire mechs are completely male. That's why Starlight's a "she", while Defensor's a "he."

"They're carriers too, but there's four mechs and only one femme…" Bee sighs softly. "Well, two if you count Mari… So he's considered a mech…" He scratches his head. "At least, I think that's how it goes…"

"Actually, it's who the commander is, but… Close enough." I shrug. "They've got more mech than femme, even with them all being carriers. All rescue bots are carriers, of course, because Carrier mechs and femmes are usually better with sparklings and younglings than Sire mechs, and normally have more compassion toward others."

"Then…what's Fixit?"

"Fixit's a Carrier mech, just a mini one."

"C-can I tell my story now?"

I blink in surprise, then nod. "Sorry 'bout that, Little One. Forgot I told you you could after the party…"

"Don't worry about it." He sighs. "Anyway… I got to meet Mari before she even met her brother or parents—before she knew her best friend was any more than just a friend—but I was in a barely-visible holoform at the time, with my frame safe on the _Artemis_. Her father had rescued me from the Council…who had sent me to the _Alchemor_ to work as a caretaker for the other minicons and the prisoners. Now, the Council…they treated us like braves—naves—" I reach up tiredly and bonk his chest. " _Slaves_ , forcing an obsolete mass-crash—" I shake my head and sit up before shifting to bot form, prompting Bee, Star, and the twinlets to do the same. Our tiny doorwings all tremble with emotion. I thump him on the head before pulling him onto my lap. Bee, Star, and the twinlets pile around me as best they can, with my lap currently full of emotional minicon. " _Class_ of Cybertronians who were either too vocal about the Caste System, glitched, a sympathizer to the slaves, an animal-former, a war-build, had an outdated frame design, or knew too little in comparison to the amount of energon they needed to function. Several also still looked at Minicons as if their sparks name-dame—" I bonk his head as if it's second nature, which by now it is. "Came, from Unicron—he's the destroyer of worlds. They didn't, according to Mari. She said they come from Primus like everyone else… That—what was his name…"

" _Micronus_ Prime, the first Minicon."

"Thank you." Fixit nods. "Micronus, was the progenitor of our race, not Unicron."

"Wha' pro-gen-it-or?"

I look down at my right to the tiny femmeling that makes the full-form of Starlight's right arm with a small smile. "It's the person who started the race, like we come from Nexus, Solus, and Optimus, and Sire comes from Prima's line."

Fixit sighs before continuing the story. "So they treated us like property instead of people if we met any of those criteria; and I met most, if not all, of them. We minicons were at a point where we had to decide if we wanted to be Decepticons or stay Autobot, and the council didn't make it easy by doing what they did. It was either starve, or join Megatron…"

Blossom gasps. "That's horrible, Fixit! A corrupt government and a caste system? I can't believe Optimus would let that happen!"

" _Optimus_ didn't. His predecessor, Sentinel Zeta, did." Fixit sighs sadly. "I'd been a medical assistant in Iacon's best hospital—like a nurse here on Earth—with a degree in engineering, and they just…threw me away…" He sighs heavily as I run a hand over his back. "Anyway, so I'd been on the _Alchemor_ for about two weeks, and settled in on the ship, when…"

* * *

 _Fixit's rolling down the hall of the_ Alchemor _, checking the pods in his sector for damage, and their contents for signs of life, when a mech, Camshaft, rolls up beside him. "Want to come hang out in the quarters with me later?"_

 _"Sure!"_

* * *

Fixit tries to smile at the three girls that are now sitting on our berth with their sleeping bags. "He was my best friend at the time, and I was sure I had no reason to fear him, but I was wrong. When I got to the quarters, he brought up…um…" He sighs heavily. "The next part's a little…X-rated…"

"Fixit, we may be young, but we're all superheroes, I've heard this story before, the twinlets get it through the bond, I told Star before I knew she was my sister, and they fight crime on a daily basis." I nudge him lightly. "It's necessary for the rest of the story, Sweets…"

"O-okay…" He whimpers. "D-don't let your S-sire th-throw me a-away, if h-he f-finds o-out?"

"I won't, Little One. Go on…"

"I met him in the recharge quarters, and he patted one of the berths like he wanted me to join him…H-he asked me…"

* * *

 _Fixit rolls over and sits beside Camshaft on the berth. "So… what are we going to do?"_

 _Camshaft turns to him with a smirk. "I wanna 'face."_

 _Fixit gives him a horrified look. "No."_

 _"Come on!"_

 _"I spark too easy, and I can't carry to term. No."_

 _"I'm not gonna spark ya, Fixit. Everyone else frags on their off shifts!"_

 _"You're only going to hurt me._ No _."_

 _Camshaft scowls at Fixit before pushing him back on the berth. "You made me do this, Fixit." He unfastens the clip holding his wheels around his waist and pulls their model's nigh-useless legs out. "Take 'em off."_

 _"N-_ no _."_

 _"_ Do it _, or I_ will _."_

 _"I. Said._ No _!"_

 _"Fine. Have it your way." Camshaft unfastens the clip and jerks the wheels off to the other side of the berth before straddling Fixit. "I just wanted to have some_ fun _with you! There's nothing else to do on this prison!"_

* * *

"I'll skip the actual r-rape, but…"

Buttercup jumps to her feet. "How could he!? I'll—"

I hug Fixit to my chest and lean toward the green-clad girl with a dangerous scowl. Right now, I feel every bit the commander that Spot sounds when he gives their merge command. "Buttercup, _NO_!" I sigh and lean back before continuing softer. "What happens to one happens to them all, okay? Sire's been aware of what happened to Fixit for a vorn now, and he's part of Starlight, so…" I sigh softer. "Cam's in prison now anyway. Go on, Little One…"

"O-okay…" He whimpers, causing me to wrap my arms around him a little tighter. "I started feeling sick a few days later, but managed to hide it from the Council-femme that would check up on us every few days."

* * *

 _Fixit's about an hour late, but trying to run his usual assigned route. "Fixit."_

 _"C-Council-Femme Rosebud! I-I—"_

 _"You've been late on your rounds for the last three cycles. Do you_ want _me to send you to the scrapyard?"_

 _"N-no…I-I'll t-try h-harder… I-I promise…"_

 _"You'd better." She stalks off, leaving a trembling minicon in her wake._

 _Fixit runs a shaking hand over his pale faceplates. "You've got to pick up the pace, Mech, or they'll throw you away again." He gags suddenly, and barely makes it to a waste bin before purging his tanks with a noisy retch. He straightens and runs a finger over his chin to make sure there's no energon left._

 _Schematic and Camshaft approach, talking about what had happened. "I can't believe you got the little glitch to interface with you! He won't 'face with anyone!"_

 _Camshaft chuckles. "I know, right? It was a fight just to get him to unwind for a few breem!"_

 _Fixit whimpers from his hiding place, and looks at the floor as a couple tears drip off his chin. He manages to wipe them off right before the two roll past. "Hey, Fixit."_

 _"Wanna get some energon?"_

 _Fixit covers his mouth with a hand and shakes his head quickly. He swallows hard against the rising nausea before moving his hand. "I can't. I'm…I'm still not done with my rounds."_

 _"Oh…well, I'll see you around then."_

 _"You too!" He waves after them before sighing. "Do they really think I'm a glitch?"_

* * *

"What's a glitch?"

I pause in rubbing Fixit's back. "It's either someone with a disability, or the disability itself. It's mainly a way to call someone defective with our kind, among other terms." ' _Several Cybertronians are moving Fixit above their heads toward a scrapyard. "Outmoded, outdated, unreliable, obsolete,…" They throw Fixit on the pile, even as he tries to correct them._ '

Fixit looks up to me. "C-can I have my blankie?"

Buttercup gasps. "He has a blankie?"

" _You_ have a blankie. Why wouldn't he?" I slide off the berth and pull a red and gold plush blanket out from under the bed. "This has come across _dimensions_ just for my little bitty orange big brother." I wrap it around him, and pull him back into my lap. "Better?"

He nods, and I pull him in for a tight hug. "Optimus showed up about a week and a half later. I'd later learn that it was a late-night request from a four-vorn-old sparkling princess, but at the time, I had no idea why the prime wanted _me_."

* * *

 _Fixit's sitting on the edge of his berth, having yet to officially get up because of his now-frequent nausea._

 _"FIXIT!"_

 _"C-Council-Femme Rosebud!"_

 _"Why are you still in berth!? The work-cycle started two breem ago!"_

 _"Rosebud!"_

 _She turns to look behind her, and gasps when she sees Optimus Prime. "O-Optimus Prime!"_

 _"Why are you yelling at the minicon?"_

 _Rosebud smirks minusculely, "He's been late to his duty-station for the last two weeks, and he's still in his berth!"_

 _Fixit curls in on himself and cringes as the Prime opens his mouth. "I cannot condone this kind of behavior, Rosebud." Fixit blinks. Rosebud? Not him?_

 _"P-Prime, s-sir? I-I—"_

 _Optimus kneels to Fixit and lays a gentle hand on him. "Easy. Are you okay, Small One?"_

 _"I-I th-think, S-sir."_

 _"Bumblebee." He nods to Fixit. The small mech picks up the minicon in both arms and runs out the door as fast as his little legs can take him—and being the brother to the Star Healer means that's_ fast _. Once they're outside the_ Alchemor _, Bumblebee sets Fixit on the ground, and he immediately doubles over and purges noisily until his tanks have emptied._

 _"Sowwy. I guess I shoulda goned slower."_

 _He looks up into the faceplates of a mechling still in his sparkling vorns. "W-what's going on?"_

 _"We's rescuin' ya. Mawi want you."_

 _"Mari?"_

 _"Fixit? Are you all right?"_

 _"I-I will be, S-Sir. Th-thank you."_

 _Optimus glances from the pool of purged energon back to the minicon at his feet. "Are you ill?"_

 _"I finks I goed too fast…"_

 _"It is fine, Bumblebee. Come, Fixit. We only have a few breem before departure."_

 _"Who's Mari?"_

 _The prime stops in his tracks. "Mariposa is my daughter, Fixit. She has been living in another dimension to protect her from the Functionalists in the council, and to assist an ally on another planet's daughter in a war coming to their dimension."_

 _"W-why does she w-want m-me? I-I'm just a gl-glitch…"_

 _"She has learned of us from holo-vids broadcast in her dimension, and has a gentle spark, especially for minicons. She wants to…"_

* * *

"…Rescue you, from this life you have been forced to live. We leave in two breem, on the _Artemis_." Fixit blinks before wiping away tears. He hadn't realized he'd been crying. "He showed me how to send my holoform to her dimension, and I did that very day."

I smile sadly. "I was getting ready to lie down for a nap when I saw his face where the head would be on this stuffy I'd made out of a comforter and pillow. I was too scared to believe that the little guy had actually shown up in my life…I was at a very low point then, too, and…" I hug him gently. "I guess I needed him as much as he needed me."

"Things weren't perfect, though…" Fixit sighs. "I'd only been there for two days when I started feeling sick again. I hadn't known before that night that a holoform could still purge…"

"I was worried sick, but, as usual, the reason popped into my head. I was pretty sure that it wasn't right, though…" I giggle. "Until I started working more at my ability to sense life forces, and felt his spark for the first time…and it wasn't _alone_. In about ten days, two went to six, and I knew without a doubt…"

"That I was carrying." Fixit looks up at me. "I was so sure I'd lose them, since I'd lost four other carriages before finding her, but one month became two, two became four, and soon…they'd transferred."

Blossom tilts her head to the side. "Transferred?"

"Sparklings start on the Carrier's spark, and in three of our months, or six Earth months, they move to the "gestation chamber" for another six of our months, or twelve Earth months."

Bubbles turns to me with sadness in her eyes. "Did…did he lose them?" I shake my head. "B-but they're not here…"

"Let me finish." Fixit smiles. "A few things I'm sure you already know about happened around that time—the war Mari'd been sent to assist in, Lockdown's death, and our return to Cybertron. I won't say I had an easy time, because five sparks are a lot, especially on a minicon, but I made it through with Mari's help, and…" He sighs sadly; wistfully. "I had to leave them on the ARK, with a femme on Elita's team, because we were coming down to stop Megatron from killing Earth like he'd killed Cybertron. I know my bitlets are alive and safe, but that's _all_ I know… Sometimes it keeps me up at night…worrying about them…"

"Fixie… I can ask Sire to find them for you—just like I had him find you for me."

"I couldn't ask Prime to do that…"

I huff. "Fine, but you're coming with me tomorrow."

"Why?"

"I'm not leaving you here to mope over them all day, and you're small enough to fit into my school, plus Ms. Livy was here today. She knows you." I sigh heavily. "We need to go nigh'-nigh'. We haves schools 'morrow."


	4. Kidnapped

Kidnapped

 **April 24, 2:00 AM**

I wake up and blink in confusion. Something's not right in our bond. I glance to the right and find Bumblebee, Star, and the twinlets sound asleep beside me, the trio of PowerPuffs are sound asleep on the floor with Patches curled up asleep on Bubbles' chest. Glimmer's asleep at our feet in her normal form, too, which means it's only one mech. I roll over to find him curled up in a ball, facing the wall. "Fix?" I run a hand over the tiny mech's helm. "What's wrong, Sweetspark?"

He looks up at me, revealing a tear-streaked face and heartbroken optics. "M-Mari…"

"Oh, Little One…" I scoop him into my arms and fish around under the covers for his red plush blanket before putting it over his shoulders. "Bitty Bot… What happened?"

He clings to me and buries his face in my shoulder. "I m-miss m-my bitlets!"

"Oh, Sweetspark…" I glance over to Bee with a heavy sigh. "You know we have to ask Sire, Bitty…"

"I-I d-don't w-want t-to b-both-ther h-him…"

I lean him back to where I can look him in the optic. "Sweets, I've told you before you don't bother us. You're a part of us, Bitty."

"I-I know…I-I j-just…"

"Shhhh… It's okay, Bitty… It's okay…" I lie down and curl myself around him before pulling the covers back over us. "Try to get some 'charge, Little One. We'll talk to Sire in the mornin'."

* * *

 **6:30 AM**

I'm the first one up this time, and I pull out mine, Bee's, Star's, and the twinlets' outfits for the day before shifting to holoform and changing into mine: a light pink T-shirt, pink camouflage overalls shorts, light pink socks, and pink tennis shoes. I then bounce on the bed to wake my little siblings and Bee up. While they get dressed—Bee in a blue version of what I'm wearing and Star in a purple one—and help the twinlets into either a pink whale print polo dress (D-Wave), or a blue whale print polo romper (Light), I feed and water Patches, feed Glimmer, and wake the PowerPuffs. They pack up their things and change into floral print shirts in their colors and overalls shorts in a darker color (read: red, blue, green). While they get cereal and Bee runs out to get our energon from Ratchet (in metal water bottles and baby bottles), I crawl back onto the berth and shake Fixit lightly. "Bitty Bot…" He groans and rolls over. "It's time to get up, Bitty…"

"Don' wanna…"

"Come on, Bitty… Uppy up up!" He sits up and glares at me. "Man, Mini-Mech…if I didn't know better, I'd think you were carrying again."

"Sadly, I'm not."

"You're coming in with us, remember?" I run a hand over his head. "And, Sweetspark… If you wanna ask Daddy 'bout your bitlets…"

"I…" He looks away. "I don't know…"

"Fixie…" I wait until he looks up at me. "You're scared, aren't you Bitty?"

He glances up at me before looking down at his little feet. "I-I'm scared he'll s-say n-no…"

I smile slightly. "Give me five minutes." I pat his shoulder. "And get your holo ready."

I shift to my normal form and knock on the door to Carrier and Sire's room, and look up as it opens to reveal Sire. "What do you need, Sweetspark?"

"Can I comes in?"

"Of course." He steps back to let me in before closing the door. He leads me over to his big berth, and boosts me up before sitting beside me. "What happened?"

I look down for a moment, my eyes falling on his large, black hands. In a moment, I can hear my adopted Mommy from my former dimension singing about her own father's hard-working yet caring hands. ' _Daddy's hands, soft and kind when I was crying. Daddy's hands, hard as steel when I'd done wrong. Daddy's hands weren't always gentle, but I learned to understand, there was always love in Daddy's hands._ ' I look up at him and smile slightly to let him know his little Starlight is okay. "Fixie woke me up last night, crying… He's coming with us today, but…"

"Mari…" He lays a hand on my shoulder. "You know there is no reason to fear me."

"I know…" I sigh heavily. "He needs his bitties, Sire. He's been so…spark-broken, since we got to Earth, and… And I can't watch him like this anymore… It's hurting me, Sire…"

"Sweetspark… Why did you take so long to come to me? You know I'd do anything for you six."

I slide off the berth and look at my feet. "Fixie didn't want me to…"

He crouches so he can look me in the eye. "Could you send him to me?"

"Y-yes, Sir."

"Mariposa…"

"Pwease no yells a' him…he haves har' 'nough time already…"

"I am not going to yell at him, Sweetspark. I just want to talk with him."

I step back into our room, causing Fixit to look up to me. "What did he say?"

"He wants to talk with you, Bitty." Fixit looks at his little feet. "Hey…" He looks up at me. "He's not mad, Sweets…maybe a little hurt that we didn't tell him after the battle, but not mad."

* * *

 **third pov**

"O-Optimus?"

The Prime kneels to Fixit and lays a hand on his shoulder. "Why did you keep this from me, Small One?"

"I-I thought…you'd get mad…that you had to-to-to-to—" He knocks himself in the chest. "To comm Firestar because of me…"

"Fixit…" Optimus smiles gently. "I would never forcibly keep a Carrier and their sparklings apart." He stands.

"S-sir?"

"Go spend the morning with your gestalt. I will take care of things on this end."

"But…they have preschool…"

"Mariposa has already told me you were planning to go with them. Go get your energon and get ready. I will be ready to leave in a few minutes."

"Yes, Sir." He turns for the door before looking back over his shoulder. "Thank you!"

* * *

 **Normal POV**

Carrier steps in and does our hair before slipping my tiara, as well as Star's and D-Wave's, and Bee's and Light's crowns in, then turns to the PowerPuffs with a smile. "How does your Dad usually do your hair for school?"

Bubbles giggles. "He puts piggytails in, then braids them."

Blossom holds out four hair ties in each color (pink, blue, green…) and two pastel ribbons each. "I still have our hair ties from yesterday, if you need them…"

Carrier nods. "Thank you, Girls." She glances over the ribbons. "Hold on. I'll be right back." She steps into our closet and over to the rack she keeps mine and Star's hair ribbons and extra ribbon on spools before cutting two red, two blue, and two green. Once they're in her hands, she walks back out and sets them beside her. She takes the hair ties from Blossom and sets them beside her. "Go ahead and put the ribbons in your bags while I start on Blossom's hair, Bubbles."

"Yes, Mrs. Prime."

"Just call me Elita, Sweetsparks." She braids Blossom's hair before putting tying bows on the ends, then does the same for the other two before standing. "Your sire is taking you all in this morning, but I'll see you this afternoon."

"You and Sire are going on patrol together, aren't you?"

The door to their room opens, and Sire walks in behind Fixit. "I think we've got something more important to do, Sweetsparks." She stands. "Orion?"

"Are the children ready to leave?" She nods. "Fixit?"

I squeal excitedly. "'Members, You onlys need holo for if outsides!"

"I know, Mari."

Carrier turns to help Bee and I with our backpacks. "Get your things, Girls." "She helps us put them on, then turns to Fixit. "Keep an optic on them today, Fixit, and have a good day."

We head into the building and put our backpacks up before starting to play with the toys while Fixit talks with Ms. Olivia. It's not long before the others show up, and we start for the lunch table for our snacks. Today, the twinlets have high chairs against the wall behind us.

A knock sounds at the door, causing Ms. Olivia to open the door while Fixit dives under the table to hide. "Hello, Mr. Drake. Hey, Kori. Are you excited about your first day?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"Come on in, then." She leads her over to her cubby, then to her place at the table, beside Bluestreak. She's wearing a purple sundress with a flame print, purple knee-high boots, and a heart shaped purple tiara. Her hair is up in two ponytails, with lime green hair ties holding them. "Guys, this is Kori Ann."

"Hi, Kori Ann!"

"Can everyone please say their names, so Kori Ann can get to know everyone?"

Bluestreak raises his hand. "Just our normal names, or—"

Kori Ann giggles. "I'm a princess from the planet Tamaran, so it's okay."

I wave under the table discretely to tell Fixit to join us again. Once he does, everyone turns to me, causing me to nod. "I'm Marianne, or you can Call me Mariposa. I'm a princess from the planet Cybertron."

"I'm Bumblebee, or Bailey to the humans. Mari's my sister."

"I'm Brightstar, or Claire. I'm their sister. They're…" She waves back to the twinlets. "Our twin brother an' sister. He's Lightstorm, or Landon, an' she's Dreamwave or Dawn."

I nod. "We're a combiner. This little guy here is our minicon, Fixit."

"Blossom Utonium. I'm a superhero and the leader of the PowerPuff Girls."

"Jessie, or Lyric."

"Bubbles. I'm Blossom's sister and a PowerPuff Girl."

"Buttercup. I'm their sister and the toughest PowerPuff Girl."

"Snowy, or Snowfire."

"Jason, or Electro."

"Blake, or Bluestreak."

She slides into her seat beside Bluestreak. "It's nice to meet you all."

"Hurry up and finish your snacks, then we'll get to class."

* * *

 **8:30 AM**

We're all sitting at our desks—some clear, while others still have their papers or pencils on their desks.

"All right, kids. Let's get our instruments for music—" The door slams open. She peeks out the crack of the sliding door in the back of the room before gasping. She turns to us with a softer, more frantic voice. "Into the closet, quickly Children."

Everyone but Bee, Star, and I run after her. I freeze in panic, my sparkling mindset believing it's my abuser from the other dimension, and Bee and Star decide to try and protect me, and stay out while motioning Fixit to get the twinlets and to follow the teacher. Bee and Star barely snap me out of my panic before the sliding door slams open. We dive under the desks and do our best to appear invisible.

* * *

Inside the closet, Ms. Olivia uses an otherwise hidden phone to call for help. The phone links her straight to both Red Alert and Prowl, the latter of which alerts the police while the former alerts the Autobots. "Peter, Ryan, Code 'D'."

" _Is this a drill?_ "

Ms. Olivia looks scared. "No, no drill. Code 'D'."

Fixit looks up at her, hoping to be heard over the phone. "The triplets are still out there!"

She gasps. "Did you get that? Three of the children are in danger. Please, hurry!"

" _We are on our way. Just stay calm._ "

* * *

A hand drags Star and I out from under the desk, then pulls Bee out with his other hand and smirks. "Just the 'humans' I came for." He carries us out by our legs, tosses us into his vehicle mode, and takes off into the air.

* * *

A black and white police car pulls up outside the building, followed by several cars, including Professor Utonium's white box-car and Galfore, Kori's guardian, in a lime green Hummer H2. A moment later, Agent Fowler arrives to control the scene, since it was a true "Code D", meaning a Decepticon attack.

"Who are they, and why are they here?" When none of the bots respond, he turns to a heavy-set orange man with red hair and beard, and a slender man with black hair. "Special Agent Fowler here. State your ID and intentions."

"Professor Utonium, father of the three PowerPuff Girls who attend Kindergarten here." Professor Utonium sighs. "I believe the general knows of my girls, Mr. Fowler, and they know of the Autobots, as do I."

"And you?"

The Tamaranian man huffs. "Galfore, guardian to Princess Koriand'r of the planet Tamaran, using the human name Gary Drake as cover. We recently moved in across the street from you and Mr. Utonium. When can I get to my _bumgorf_?"

"Soon, Mr. Drake." Agent Fowler huffs. "At least the building's still intact this time, Prime." He sighs and shakes his head. "Prowl, give me the sitrep."

"We got the call from Ms. Olivia Wilson approximately 8:31 this morning. Ms. Wilson claimed "Code D" and that three children were missing from her lockdown shelter. With the lack of a visible Decepticon, I would say either there is a Decepticon minicon inside, or the Decepticon has already left. Permission to clear the building, Sir?"

"Granted."

Prowl steps outside, in holoform, with Ms. Olivia before leaving her with Agent Fowler. She is nearly frantic with worry, but handling it well in the Autobots' presence. The next ones he leads out are the PowerPuffs, followed by a nervous yet excited Koriand'r.

" _Bumgorf_!"

She flies up and hugs his neck. " _K'norfka_!"

"Are you okay, _Bumgorf_?"

"I am great! School was really fun!"

Prowl steps out again with a trembling Bluestreak in his arms and a nervously scared Lyric holding his hand. "Jazz?"

Jazz nods and takes Bluestreak before crouching to Lyric. "You two Sparkles okay?"

"W-we're o-okay n-now."

"Oh, Blue…" He hugs the two while Prowl heads back inside.

The next to be carried out is an excited Electro. "Was that what the war was like, Mama?"

The second he hits his Carrier's arms, she finds it hard to hold back her tears of relief. "Oh, Electro…"

Prowl takes one more trip in, and returns with a panicked Snowfire in his arms. He quickly passes her over to her panicked parents. Red Alert simply clings to her while Ratchet looks her over for any damage. "I'm fine, Carrier."

He returns a final time with two screaming toddlers. Elita-One steps over to the officer. "P-Prowl?"

"I-I'm sorry. There were no other younglings inside. Just the sparklings."

A shaky hand covers her mouth as she turns to bury her face into Optimus' plating as the mech turns to Prowl. "What about Fixit?"

Prowl deactivates his holoform and turns to Optimus. "He would not leave the closet… He said something about not getting his sparklings and failing to protect the triplets…"

Agent Fowler glances over his shoulder to Optimus. "Prime, contact your "secret weapon"." Optimus gives him a confused look, causing him to elaborate. "We need Streetwise."

"Ratchet, comm Griffin Rock as soon as we return." He shifts down to holoform and starts inside. He heads straight for the closet before crouching by the open door. "Fixit?"

"I'm so sorry, Optimus!" Optimus gives him a confused look. "I promised I'd keep an optic on them, and I failed you!"

"Fixit…" The Prime reaches in and picks him up before returning to the now-smaller group outside. Once he's back into his normal form, he puts an arm around Elita, who has the still-teary twins in her arms, and leads them all back into the base.

* * *

"Lord Megatron, I got them."

" _Good. Bring them to the ship._ "

I start to cry, causing the mech's holoform to slap me. I start crying even harder at that, causing Bee to glare at the cockpit and wrap his arms around me. Star freezes up. This is the first time she's witnessed abuse.

"Enjoy it while you can, sparklings, because you won't get to have this once we get to the ship!"

~ _Bumbee, NOOO!_ ~

~ _ **Easy, Flutterby. We've done this before.**_ ~

~ **We'll get through this.** ~

~ _I s'sposed to tell you that! I's the commander!_ ~

~ _ **Can you reach Carrier, or Sire?**_ ~ I shake my head. ~ _ **Twinlets? Fixit?**_ ~ Another shake.

~ **Please tell me you can reach 'Fensor…** ~

~ _Huh-uh…_ ~ I whimper. ~ _I wan' Mama… Wan' Dada!_ ~

~ _ **MARIPOSA!**_ ~ He sighs softly. ~ _ **We'll get through this. We'll see Carrier and Sire again, but you need to pull yourself together. You're more creative than I am.**_ ~

~ _Did you bring you new sword?_ ~

~ _ **Uh-huh. Did you? Star?**_ ~

~ **I got it.** ~

~ _Uh-huh. Hidey in armor, jus'in case._ ~

~ _ **Why're you actin' like a 'parklin'?**_ ~

I giggle through the bond. ~ _Seekers no can hurts sparkles, 'member? We jus' turny fives, so we still looks lik'a sparkles. Ifs we ac' lik'a sparkles, we no' getty hurts bad…_ ~

~ _ **That's why you cried?**_ ~

~ _Uh-huh…_ ~

~ _ **Oh! Good idea! You still get sicks in cars?**_ ~

~ _Sometimes…no' when I's dwivin' though… or when Sire putty me in front…_ ~

~ _ **What about right now?**_ ~

~ _Uh-huh…but I no wanna makey you sicks too…_ ~

~ _ **I don't care if you do right now. It might get Screamer to let us go.**_ ~ I nod, and let down my guard against my car-sickness. "Scweamy?"

" _What_!"

"I finks sissy gonna pu'ge."

"Great… Just great…" He sighs heavily. "Think you three can hold on for a little longer? We're almost to the ship." Moments after he says that, I purge all over the seat under us, myself, Star, and Bee, who quickly follow my lead and purge on the floor and seat-back in front of us. "Frag it! Why did I ever agree to do this!?" He lands on the runway of the _Nemesis_ and transforms, taking us in his hands as he does, the mess now visible on his chest and legs. Before he even has a chance to complain about it, we purge on his hands, causing him to almost drop us in disgust.

He carries us into his lab and tosses us onto a counter before stalking through a door—probably into his berth room or a wash rack—before stalking back in with a washrag, which he uses to clean off his chest, legs, and hands. "Now, where was I…" He glances over to us. "Right…I was dealing with the Autobot vermin."


	5. Abused

I only own my OC's!

* * *

Graphic child abuse in this chapter! Please, if you can't handle child abuse, don't read. I don't want to cause others to feel what I did writing this one...

* * *

Abused

 **10:00 AM, _Nemesis_ , Starscream's Lab**

Starscream throws something black at each of us, causing us to give him a confused look. "Put those on!"

We share a look before getting out of our pukey outfits and changing into what he threw at us. Mine and Star's are black camisoles and matching dance shorts. Star and I recognize them because we wear them under our formal outfits and the super-suits we made with Ratchet's help. Bee's got what looks like boxers and a tank top on, also both in black.

He picks our dirty clothes up with two fingers and tosses them into a cage in the corner. "Now…" He reaches over and grabs a full cube of energon. Instead of drinking it, like we expect, he sets it down near us, then picks Bee up and sticks his feet into the cube. He screams, and Starscream sets him back on his feet. Bee stumbles, hits his knees, and leans on the edge of the cube before having his hands shoved inside too. The phantom pains I get from Bee are making me very light-headed, like I usually get when I get hurt. He then scoops Star up and dips her feet into the energon before sticking her hands into the cube.

The next thing I know, I'm being picked up, and my feet are being shoved into the cube. He tosses me down, and I do my best to lie down before I pass out or crash, but he shoves my hands into the cube too.

He leaves us crying our eyes out in pain and fear.

* * *

 **Griffin Rock, MAine**

Optimus' comm signal echoes through the bunker. Heatwave walks over to the comm screen and answers it. " _Heatwave, I need the Protectobots to prepare themselves for a trip to Nevada._ "

"What? Why?"

" _Heatwave, my eldest daughters and son have been captured by the Decepticons, and we need Defensor._ "

"Understood. I'll let them know."

" _Thank you._ "

* * *

 **4:00 PM, _Nemesis_ , Starscream's Lab**

Bee, Star, and I are in our bot forms now, walking through the lab while Starscream works at his desk. I took a few minutes to heal the three of us while Starscream was busy outside, and we went to bot form so he couldn't use energon to hurt us again. ~ _ **Mari, I stepped on a nail! It's stuck in my foot!**_ ~

~ **Mari, I got nails in my feet!** ~

~ _Hold still, I'll—OW!_ ~

~ _ **Mari?**_ ~

~ _I stepted on poikeys!_ ~ I hit my knees and crawl over to him and look at his feet before hugging him. ~ _You boff got poikeys on boff feets, Guys!_ ~

~ _ **What about you?**_ ~ He looks at my feet. ~ _ **You too!**_ ~

I reach down and pull Bee's out before using my thumbs to keep him from leaking. Once the holes on his protoform's feet close up, I pull the nails out of Star's and do the same, then finally pull the nails in my own out and seal them off with a hidden use of my inferno.

I stand and point up. ~ _We need to get up there._ ~

Bee gives me a look. ~ _ **Why?**_ ~

I huff and cross my arms. ~ _We have to get to his level so we can find out why he's doing this to us._ ~

~ _ **Mari, he's doing it because of Uncle Megatron. You know that!**_ ~

~ _Still…_ ~ I sigh heavily. ~ _Bumbee, we need to get our clothes back first off, and we needs makey Screamy be nice._ ~

~ **I thought Seekers were kind to Sparkles.** ~

~ _ **I thought so too, but apparently not…**_ ~ I start to climb up the cabinets. ~ _ **Oh, for Primus' sake…**_ ~ He follows me up, being less careful than I am.

We roll onto the table-top and sit up. I look up into Starscream's ruby eyes and smile gently. He gives me an infuriated look and pushes me down before throwing Bee and Star down on top of me. "OWWW!" He looks down at us and laughs. "OWIE! OWIE!"

~ _ **You okay, Mari? What did you hit?**_ ~

~ _My helm, on'a floor, an' you hi' my wings._ ~

~ _ **I think I hit my helm on your doorwings, and my doorwings on the cabinets.**_ ~

~ **I hit my wings on Bee, and my head on'a floor.** ~  
"You're going to get it for that, Younglings!" He leaves the room and comes back with a burner, which he plugs into the ship and lights before turning to us with a sinister smile.

~ _Uh-oh…_ ~

~ _ **Uh-oh what?**_ ~

I turn his head to face where I am and point up. ~ _Burners only mean one thing if they're seen after what he said, Bumbee…_ ~

~ _ **You never should have gone through that kind of thing, Mari.**_ ~

~ _I_ should _have been kept with_ you _, but that's not the problem anymore._ ~ He picks me up and sits me on the counter beside him. He grabs my right hand—apparently not familiar enough with Bee and I to know that the two of us, along with Starlight, are all lefties or that Star is ambidextrous.

He holds my hand over the flame until it glows yellow. I start out just watching him, but start to scream before it even starts to turn red. He tosses me back, then does the same to Bumblebee's and Brightstar's right hands, whom have a less extreme reaction due to my sensitive medic hands—though Star's is almost as bad as mine because of her own medic hands. I look down at my hand, cradled in my left hand, and watch as my hand cools and leaves the paint at my wrist blistered.

Before we have time to recover from having our hands roasted over an open energon fire, he shoves us back to the floor again, leaving me and Star wailing in pain, and Bee screaming. This time, I land on my butt, and hit my doorwings on the floor, and Star hits her wings on the cabinet and butt on the floor, while Bee hits his butt on my toes, and his doorwings on the floor as well.

* * *

 **Autobot Base Omega One, Third POV**

"Tell me what happened again."

Prowl turns to the hulking form of Defensor, looking up to him calmly. "We got the call from Ms. Olivia Wilson to her private kindergarten daycare at approximately 8:31 this morning. Ms. Wilson claimed "Code D", and that three children were missing from her lockdown shelter disguised as a closet that Red Alert and I helped her design. I was able to determine that the Decepticon had already absconded with the three younglings that had been missing from her shelter. I led the other children, as well as Ms. Wilson, to safety, and sent the children home with their guardians."

"And the younglings they took were those who make up the smaller form of my little sister."

"Yes." The combiner separates into his components, who turn to each other.

" _Poor Mari… She must be scared to death…_ "

"I'm more worried about Bee and Star. Mari's been through this kind of thing before…"

" **But Mari's more vulnerable to this kind of treatment because of what she went through before we got to her…** "

" _ **Those cons are going to regret hurting my little sisters!**_ "

"What about Bumblebee?"

" _ **Him too, duh!**_ "

" _ **All of you, calm down. We'll find out where they are. Recovery comes**_ **after** _ **a rescue, unless the four of you forgot that since Mari saved us from the Alpha…**_ " With the bond falling silent, Hot Spot turns to Prowl and the worried Creators. "We'll do our best to find them, Sir."

"Thank you, Hot Spot."

"Streetwise, check the school. We'll go from there."

* * *

 **6:00 PM, _Nemesis_ , Starscream's LAb, Third POV**

Starscream walks back into the room with a winged child on either hip. After setting them down with special cups made for the younglings, he turns back to the Autobot younglings in disgust. They're curled together on the floor of his lab in recharge.

* * *

 **Normal POV**

I jerk awake to a hard kick between my doorwings. "Wake up, detestable Autobot filth!"

I sit up, trying to reach the spot he kicked me in with my non-injured hand as he does the same to Bee and Star. Once we're awake, he sets us none-too-gently on the countertop. Once we're there, we attempt to get to our sore feet, only for Starscream to slash across our tummies—first mine, then Bee's, and finally Star's. As we're watching the energon dribble down our tummies to our little pedes incased in armor, he starts stabbing his talons into our hands and cheeks, as well as around our badly-leaking middles.

"See what I'm doing, Younglings?" The two, a mech and a femme, nod. "All right. I need to report to the bridge so I can manage the troops. Can you take over for a few breem?" The Seekerlings nod. "Good. I'll be back soon."

Bee and I share a scared look as Starscream sets us on the floor, followed by the two youngling seekers. The seeker's high-heeled pedes walk away, and a door opens and shuts, before we're left with the two Seekerlings. "H-Hi, sparklies! I'm Mari!"

"I'm Star!"

~ _ **What are you doing?**_ ~

~ _Being friendly. It's all we have going for us right now!_ ~

~ _ **Good point…**_ ~ He steps over painfully. "I'm Bee. What's your name?"

"Venom."

"Don't talk to the prisoners, Veni." The mechling scowls at us. "They're not worth our time." He laughs evilly, just like his Carrier. "I'm Bloodracer, soon to be Prince of Cybertron!" He pushes us back-first into the corner of the bookshelf. "And you'll have to bow to me! Come on, Veni! Help me!"

"But…I don't want to…"

I rub Bee's and Star's back, where corner-shaped dents go from their neck (right under the flat dent where Bee hit the cabinets) to their butts, knowing I've got one just like them.

Bloodracer scoffs. "You're just a big softie." He chuckles "Sire's gonna have you for breakfast if you don't toughen up!" He turns back to us and shoves us back-first into the desk leg, then starts throwing shapes from his metal shape-fitting toy in the corner. I wind up with circle, square, heart, and star dents all over, and, looking at Bee and Star, so does he. I flinch when a heart-shaped block hits me on the optic, only to watch as Bee gets hit with a star-shaped block in the same place, and a circle one hits Star.

Moments later, a toy wrench hits Bee in the knee, denting it so bad it has to be broken, and a toy screwdriver hits Star on the elbow. I hit my knees as a toy hammer hits my doorwing head-on.

~ _ **MARI!**_ ~

~ _'M fine. Still awake._ ~

~ _ **Good. I know you're weak against pain…**_ ~

~ _I think all of Cybertron knows that by now, Bee. I don't exactly keep that a secret, Goofball!_ ~

~ _ **Right…**_ ~

I cringe when I feel teeth on my elbows—first one, then the other, and watch as the same thing happens to Bee and Star.

"Racer, what are you doing?" Venom walks over to us and starts looking at my elbow.

"What Carrier told us to, Wimp!"

"Venom! I told you to torture the captives, not be their friends! Bloodracer, good job." He throws three pull-ups on the floor. "Put those on, Vermin! I won't have you making my lab smell like lubricant!" He takes us, still staring at the pull-ups in our hands, and tosses us into a cage, then picks up his younglings. "Come on, Little Ones. Let's get you two to berth."

Bee, Star, and I share a look before shifting into holoform so we can both sit on the floor of the cage, then put on the pull-ups and put our underwear in the corner with our puke-stained clothes from school today. "Now what, Mari? How will we get out of here to get help?"

I pat his shoulder—the one place where he's not hurt—and take Star's uninjured hand in my own. "It'll be okay, Bumbee. We'll get out of here somehow."

"How?"

I can't help but smirk. "I have friends in low places, same as Uncle Jazz. You forget how many people I got to know before this war started." I sigh softly and curl into Bee for warmth. "Jerk could have left us a blankie, though…I'm cold… Wan' sissy…bubby…"

"I'm here, Mari…"

"I'm here too. I promised you before—I'll never leave you."

He takes my injured hand in his. In holoform, it looks almost black—as close to third degree as it can be while still being in pain. "How's your hands?"

I pull it away as carefully as I can. "No touchie Bumbee! Ouchies!"

"I'm sorry…"

I sigh and hug him gently. I can see that the dents in our normal forms are replaced with bruises of various shapes. "We should try to get some recharge, Bumbee. Morning'll come earlier than we want it to…"


	6. Soundwave

I only own my OC's!

* * *

Soundwave

 **Autobot Base Omega One, Third POV**

Fixit is curled up in a tiny ball of misery, doing his best not to cry. He's felt everything the triplets have been put through, on top of having just gone through the "Code D" at the private kindergarten and missing his sparklings. Through it all, he's trying to stay strong for the sparklings—his sister and brother that are still here are looking to him for guidance and protection.

Optimus steps into his children's room and sits on the side of the berth beside the miserable minicon. "Fixit?"

"I-I'm okay…"

"I just got a comm from the Ark. They will be sending a bridge down in four days for us to retrieve your sparklings." Fixit can no longer hold back at that, and starts crying harshly. Optimus picks him up as his oldest daughter always had, and pulls the red plush blanket over him. "It will be okay, Fixit. We will find them."

"Th-they're in p-pain…s-someone's h-hurting th-them…"

"I know, Fixit. I know."

Elita steps up to the doorway, a whimpering Dreamwave in her arms with her head resting on the femme's shoulders, causing Optimus to look up. "Are you coming?"

Optimus nods before carrying the minicon with him into their berth room. The minicon winds up recharging in their room with the two sparklings that night, the same thing that would happen if it were Bumblebee, Brightstar, or Mariposa who were spark-broken over something.

* * *

 **9:51 PM, _Nemesis_ , Third POV**

Two tiny figures sneak into the Decepticon second's lab with their hands full of supplies to use to prank the Seeker.

" _Frenz_. Look."

"Hush, Rumble."

He turns his twin's head toward the cage on the counter. "What do you think's inside?"

"A cyber-cat? I don't know!"

"Don't let Ravage hear you say that!" The two walk over to the counter and climb up. "Holy Primus, it's Mari!"

"Mari?" He leans closer. "You mean that pretender we met in the other dimension before the war? She got small…"

"She's a youngling, moron!" Rumble looks around and huffs. "There's no way for us to get her out without Soundwave's help."

"Then let's go get the Boss!"

"He won't be happy to know we were going to pull a prank…"

"He'll be less happy when he learns Screamer's got Mari and her siblings in a cage! You know how much he cares about her! He may have been tricked into joining the 'Cons anyway, but he's still loyal to Mari! I can feel it in his spark."

"Okay, then…" They move to climb down, accidentally knocking a bolt to the floor with a clang.

* * *

"Mmmm…" I flutter my eyes open and look around, too tired to even think about sitting up.

"Scrap…"

"Hi." I blink for a moment. "Rumble!?"

"Mumble?"

Star nudges Bee. "She said Rumble, not Mumble."

"Yeah, Goofball." I struggle to sit up before leaning on the bars. "Can you guys get us out of here?"

Frenzy shakes his head. "Sorry…We don't have the code, but Soundwave should have the over-ride."

"We were just about to go get him…"

"Gotta binky?"

Rumble smirks. "Surprisingly, yes."

They each pull one out to give us, then Frenzy pulls another out for Star. Frenzy pats my good hand gently after the one he gave me lands in my mouth. "Carrier made sure he had some in case you three got taken."

"We have to leave now. Can you hang tight here 'til we get back?"

Bee giggles. "We're not going anywhere…"

I smirk. "Till you get back, at least."

"Then we'll try to hurry." I give them each a kiss on the cheek, causing them to grimace, then watch them leave.

"Your 'friends', I assume?"

I giggle and nod, pain forgotten for the moment. "Yep. Some of them, anyway. Soundwave's loyal to me, not Megs, Goofball!"

"You're calling me that a lot lately, Mari…"

"I'm teasing you. I'm supposed to do that!"

"Younglings, Desist."

I look up to the purple mech with a smile, only to find a visor covering the faceplates I know so well. "S-Sounders?"

He slips off the visor and leans down to us. "Are you three okay?"

Star sighs. "Not really, but…"

I shrug. "That's what you're here for."

"Patience. I will let you out." He quickly enters the over-ride before opening the door. "Quickly." We scramble out and into his hands, though I'm favoring my right hand. "What happened, Sweetspark?"

"Scweamer 'bused us…burny hand…cutted tummy…hurted us…" I whimper. "Hurts, Soundie!"

"Rumble, get their clothes."

He ducks into the cage before climbing out with a grimace "Yuck, they purged on them!"

"You will be fine, and the clothes will wash. Follow me, both of you, stay close." He sets Bee and I onto the counter and slips the visor on with one hand while Bee, Star, and I go back to our normal forms, then he picks us up as gently as he can. "Soundwave to Knockout."

" _What the frag do you need!? I'm trying to 'charge here!_ "

"Complaining: futile. Recharge: not important."

" _I hate it when you do that._ " Knockout huffs. " _What happened? Ravage bite Frenzy again?_ "

"Negative. I am on the way with three injured sparklings."

" _Starscream's and who else's? The only other kid on this ship besides yours and Stormy is Gremlin!_ "

"Negative."

" _Would you stop that!_ " Knockout sighs heavily. " _I'll have the med-bay ready._ "

"Thank you."

* * *

 **10:00 PM, _Nemesis_ Medical Bay, Normal POV**

Soundwave pushes the door open and walks in, a youngling on his shoulders, one youngling on each hip, and two running behind him.

"Ah, Soundwave, I've been—What in Primus' core!?"

Soundwave sets us on the table. I look up at the red mech I'd always adored in the other dimension, and smile. "Hi, Knockout! I'm Mari!" I blink. "Well, Mariposa, but I wan' you calls me Mari." I wave to Bee and Star. "This is Bumblebee, and Brightstar."

"Hi, Mari. What happened to you two?"

"Starscream 'bused us…"

Knockout sits on the berth, and I climb into his lap. Even knowing he's a Con, I know he doesn't always stay Con, so I trust him like I trust Sire. "How?"

"Well…" I cradle my injured hand in my other hand, and look down. "He sticky hands an' feets in 'gon while we was human form… He putty us on floor an' we steppy on poikeys… We climby up the cabinet, an' he pushy us to floor—we hitty wings an' head…" I touch the dent on the back of my head. "Den he getty burny, an' roast han's…mine still really ouchies…"

Knockout smirks knowingly. "Medic hands…"

I nod. "Den he frow us back on'a fwoor. Dis time we hitty butts an' wings 'gain… Den we nappy…" I sigh heavily. "Den he kicky us in'a backs wakey us… He claw tummies… Den he poikey all over 'roun' ouchies, den poikey han's an' chee's…" I whimper. "Den we twy be fwiends to hi' 'parkles, an' dey pushy us in'a bookshelf…desk…frow shapeys a' us…bitey us…"

Knockout scowls. "How can anyone do that to SPARKLINGS!?" I start, while Bee and Star scream instinctively. Knockout hugs me gently while Soundwave comforts Bee and Star. "Well, I guess I'd better get started…"

Frenzy looks up at Knockout as he starts repairing me. "Where's 'Storm?"

"She's recharging, in my berth room, with her Sire. Where I'd like to be."

"Oh…"

It takes Knockout half the night to fix me (2200 to 0300), then another half a night to repair Bee (0300 to 0600), and a good part of the morning to repair Star (0600 to 0900). "All right, they're done. I would recommend keeping them from Starscream."

"Soundie?" He looks down to us, the visor back in place yet again. "We haves school on Monday…"

"I will figure out what to do before then, Mariposa."

"Fank'u!"

Soundwave carries us to his berth room with his minicon younglings recharging on our laps while we rest our heads on Soundwave's shoulders or chest, depending on our positions. He opens the door and slips inside, where he puts Bee, Star, and I into one youngling berth before taking his twin minicons and tucking them into their own berth. "Recharge, Little Ones. You are safe now."


	7. Weekend With the Cons

I only own my OC's! Mentions of child abuse of all forms. Reader be warned!

* * *

Weekend with the Cons

 **12:00 PM, Soundwave's Room, Normal POV**

So far today, we've spent most of our time in Soundwave's berth room with him and his minicons. Of course, we'd been recharging, but we're awake now, and we're ready to play…except we don't have much to play with. Of course, we've got Ravage, Laserbeak, and Ratbat to play with, as well as the twins, but we're still lonely.

According to Rumble, Soundwave went to Earth after a few outfits for us, and got some toys while he was there, but we still don't have a lot. He made sure to leave us all with Ravage, just in case the three of us woke up while he was gone. He also got his minicon twins matching outfits as well as—according to him—signing them both up for school with us.

We all look up—as a group—when we hear a knock on the door. Soundwave's been home for about an hour by now, and he's working on reports for Starscream at his desk, which is straight across from the door. Rumble runs for the door excitedly. "Who is it!"

Soundwave stands from his desk and walks across the room to the door. ' _Silence, Rumble. Younglings, hide. Quickly._ ' The three of us duck under his berth quickly, and watch as he opens the door.

"Hey, Soundwave. Breakdown and I just stopped by to help "paint" the new "recruits"."

"Enter." We watch from under Soundwave's berth as two sets of legs step inside, followed by a youngling—I'm assuming a femmeling—being set on the floor. Her armor is a glittery pink—just a little darker than my own—with glittering gold accents.

"I got the door."

"Thank you, Breakdown." Knockout steps over to the berth before bending down and smiling at the three of us. "Hello."

The three of us shriek before crawling—embarrassed—out from under the berth. "Sorry, Knocky." I look up to the blue and silver mech. "Hi, Breaky." I look down. "Sorry they gotted you backs…"

"Don't worry about it, Little One. Knockout and I are working on it."

"Really?"

"Really." He crouches in front of me. "Knockout and I have been talking about defecting for the last month, Mari."

"But…Mo'orma'ter…"

"Motormaster's pissed about being sent to the prison dimension, but he doesn't know you did it, or that it was to protect the rest of us, so you're safe."

"But 'Master's still mad, and he hurted you…"

"I'll be okay."

"Okay…" I hug him before stepping back. "But I'll be watching you."

He smiles, his amber eyes lighting up. "I'll hold you to that."

I smile, and pat his arm for good measure before stepping back and turning to Star. "He was a lot worse before he met Knockout. He used to hate bein' watched."

"I remember…"

Knockout kneels in front of me before setting something flat against my chest armor. "I think…Turquoise…for you." Breakdown turns to Knockout with a small handheld computer before adjusting something on the screen for the hologram patch. "With orange accents."

I watch as my paint changes. "Why you do that?"

"This way, you'll be able to run around the ship without Starscream recognizing you. It's holographic, so your paint job won't get messed up for real."

"But you'll need a new designation while you're here, too."

I glance down at the new holographic paintjob coming from a magnetic purple Decepticon symbol, which is placed over the star-Autobot logo on my chest. "Sunspark."

Knockout nods and motions for Breakdown to add an orange sun on my chest before tapping that into a device like the one Breakdown is holding. He then turns to Bumblebee and places another Decepticon-shield shaped magnet on his chest. "All right, Breakdown… Keep the black, but add more, and…red, instead of yellow." He turns back to Bumblebee. "What about you?"

"Crossfire."

"Okay… Good…" He puts a red and black fire symbol on his chest—it looks like ATLA's Fire Nation symbol. Finally, he turns to Brightstar with a third and final shield magnet. "Okay… Breakdown, let's go with silver as an accent, and…"

"Can I have purple?"

"Of course, Little One." He turns back to his tablet. "And can I get a name?"

"Um…"

"Silvermoon."

"Mari?"

"We'll go undercover as combiner twins, and Bee can be our best friend while we're here."

"But…"

"I'm sure End will help us out, too. He likes you, Mari."

"Great." I turn to Star before hugging my nervous, now-purple sister, who has a crescent moon on her chest. "We'll be okay. We're Starlight, after all. We can do this."

"Now, I've designed your symbol, and Star's, to shift with you when you combine, but you'll need a new combiner name."

Brightstar and I share a nervous look. "Starfall."

"Okay…" He types this last name into the computer. "All right, then. Younglings have combat training with Barricade in half an hour, then they have the rest of the day to play. If you're going to be disguised as Con younglings, you'll have to act like Con younglings."

"But we're 'stalt."

"I'm aware of that, Sweetspark. You're allowed to be clingy with Brightstar, but you can't be with Bumblebee for now. Firestorm here will show you to the training room. I'm…" Knockout rubs the back of his neck. "Not really…able to go down there right now…or I'd take you."

The pink and gold femmeling smiles, crossing her arms as she starts to speak. "Carrier's sparked again."

I smile up at Breakdown. "You gotta be happy then."

He lays a hand over the back of his neck. "Sort of… I'm actually pretty scared. I don't want another sparkling around Motormaster."

"Uncle 'Master's mean."

I blink. While she's not acting like Aid… "Did he hurt you, Stormy?" She looks up to her creators before turning back to me with a scared look, and a nod. "Breaky…"

"I know, Mari. I never wanted that to happen to my baby girl. It's one thing if Motormaster's doing it to me, but…" He looks almost…broken. "We're getting off this ship as soon as we can…"

"We're just going through the motions for now, Mari. You know what I mean."

"Like I did with my old human family." I lay a hand on Firestorm's shoulder. "I'm here, if you need to talk. Even when we're back home…" I reach up and grab Knockout's computer before typing out a code. "This is our main comm frequency." I type in another. "And this is my BB phone, but you might not be able to reach me there, so try the other one first. I'm a junior medic at our base. If you need rescue, _you call me_ , okay?"

She glances back to her Sire, who nods, before nodding as well. "Okay…" She smiles—for real this time—and leads us to the door. "Come on. We need to get to training."

"Wait!" Knockout kneels before slipping a purple visor onto mine and Star's faces, and locking them in before doing the same with a red one on Bee. "There. Now no one will be able to see your Autobot optics."

"Thanks, Knocky!" I tug Star's hand, while Firestorm tugs Bee behind her. It's not long before we step into their training room. "Hey, Cade!"

"Hey, Firestorm. Hi, Rumble. Frenzy. Who are these three?"

I force myself to have a less-chipper tone—like I'd had in the old dimension when I'd get mad. "I'm Sunspark, and this is my twin Silvermoon."

Bee nods. "And I'm their friend. Name's Crossfire."

"Nice to meet you three." He motions us to where Bloodracer and Venom are waiting. "All right, we'll be sparring today, so…Bloodracer, you and Venom go against Rumble and Frenzy. Sunstar and Silvermoon, you're going against Crossfire and Firestorm. Grem—where's Gremlin?"

"Right here, Sir!" A green and purple femmeling runs in, panting slightly, before straightening up. "Sorry I was late! I was helping Carrier and his brothers with a project!"

"All right, then. Gremlin, you're with Crossfire and Firestorm, against Sunspark and Silvermoon." He steps over once the two sets of twins get started. "Sunspark, are you and your sister combiner twins?"

"Yep." I pop the "p" sound. "We form Starfall."

"That's good to know. You may want to find Motormaster later for some lessons in commanding a combiner."

"Anyone else I could see?"

"Excuse me?"

"I've heard rumors about him hurting his brothers…"

"He's the only gestalt commander in Lord Megatron's good favor, Sunspark." He sighs heavily. "But we've got Scrapper—he's Gremlin's carrier. I don't know where he is, but you can find Hook with Knockout in the med-bay—and we have Onslaught."

"I think I'll find Scrapper…" I smile up at him. "Thank you!"

"Don't mention it." He steps back. "All right, let's see what you three can do. Firestorm's one of our best fighters."

Star and I share a look before falling into similar fighting stances. ~ **I don't want to see Motormaster, Mari…not after hearing what he did to Firestorm…** ~

I punch at Firestorm before sending a kick at Bee, while Star focuses her attention on Gremlin. We're used to sparring like this, since we usually spar two-on-two or three-on-three back at Omega One. ~ _We won't, Star. Trust me. He…tried to hurt me, back in the old dimension. Only reason he didn't was the others standing up for me… Then he threatened Fix, and I went OFF._ ~

Star lunges forward, kicking Firestorm in the gut. ~ **Guess he didn't try that again.** ~

I scoff through the bond while tripping Firestorm with a roundhouse kick while Bee punches Star in the chest. ~ _Would have if I hadn't had him put in a prison dimension. You don't know abusive people like I do, Star…and I'm glad for that…but that doesn't mean your innocence helps you while we're stuck here._ ~

~ _ **Yeah… Just follow our lead, Star. Mari's been through it, and I grew up around Uncle Megatron, so we both know abuse pretty well. Of course, no one did what Motormaster does to us.**_ ~

~ _Motormaster molests younglings, as well as his own brothers, Star. Bee and I only had to deal with verbal or physical abuse._ ~

* * *

Once training ends, Star, Bee, and I walk Firestorm and Gremlin back to the medical bay. "You know, you don't have to do this Sunspark. I'll be fine."

I shrug lightly. "We wanted to."

"Looks like we've got some new younglings to break in."

"Motormaster…"

"I'm getting Carrier!" Gremlin gasps, and runs ahead of us, dragging Firestorm for a moment before she pulls free and starts running behind her.

~ _Star, get behind me. I won't let another left arm be raped by this monster._ ~

~ **But Mari…** ~

~ _No. I'm the commander. Spot told me several times before that one of his greatest regrets was not being able to protect Aid from him. I won't let him—or Ratchet—feel that again—not for Starlight._ ~ I cross my arms and glare up at the silver and purple gestalt commander. "You're not touching my sister."

"What about you, then?"

~ _ **I sent Storm after Breakdown and the twins after Soundwave. Just hang in there, Mari.**_ ~

~ _Hanging in there._ ~ I move to dodge his large hands before gasping as someone else picks me up, then start struggling. "Let. Me. Go!" I finally manage to kick someone in the gut.

"Hey! What are you doing kicking your rescuer?"

" _Wildrider_." The dangerous con sighs heavily. "If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times. We don't _coddle_ the younglings, _we teach them to submit_."

I go limp in the Con's hands. "Oh… Thank you, 'Rider." I glance back to him. "I'm Sunspark."

"Wildrider, put Sunspark down _now_."

"But Break… I just saved her from Motormaster."

"Soundwave: Is grateful. Sunspark: is okay?"

"I'm fine, Soundie. Silvermoon?"

"I'm okay…"

"Younglings: with me. Breakdown." Soundwave nods toward me.

"Firestorm's safe, right?"

"She's with her carrier, Sunspark." Breakdown glares at his brother. "You need to take the younglings away, Soundwave. This might not be pretty."

* * *

 **Third POV, Medbay with Breakdown**

Breakdown sighs before pulling out a welder to repair the damage done to his brother, by their commander and brother, as Wildrider looks up to him. "That was Mari. I _know_ that was Mari."

" _Don't_ tell the others. If it gets back to Starscream…"

"Wait… You _knew_?"

"Rider…" Breakdown sighs heavily. "Starscream kidnapped them yesterday, and all but killed them. Knockout, Soundwave, and I are working to get her and her siblings back home, but until we can, they've got to be kept hidden."

"Are you still going to defect?"

"As soon as we have an opportunity." Wildrider wilts at his words. "Fire doesn't need to be raped _again_ , Rider. As a sire I feel…responsible, for her trauma. Now she's going to wind up just as paranoid as I used to be, and I don't want that for her. I'll see what I can get set up with Prime once we're settled in, so that you, Dead End, and Drag Strip can still visit, but…" He sighs heavily. "You know Mari would make sure we all four got sanctuary—even if you guys won't join the Autobots—just to keep us all safe from Motormaster."

"What if we decide to go with you?"

* * *

 **Soundwave's Berth Room, Normal POV**

Star, Bee, and I pile on our berth together, clinging to each other in the fear of the moment. "Did…did I really almost get raped back there?"

"We've got your back, Star. We wouldn't let him hurt you." I smile and hug her. "Besides, friends in low places, remember? 'Rider and I used to hang out, after I sent their commander to the prison dimension."

"Wildrider would have protected us, and if he wasn't there, then Drag Strip or Dead End would have been. Mari's made friends with every combiner we know of."

Soundwave leans down with a bag of energon sweets. "You were very brave, Mariposa."

"I was just protecting my sister, Soundie…"

"And very few younglings would when faced with a possible assault." He sighs softly. "Knockout is going down to Earth for an hour or so, and Breakdown's busy dealing with his brother, so we are going to have Firestorm for that time."

"She's okay?"

"Firestorm: Shaken, but okay."

"Gremlin?"

"Safe for now. She is with Hook."

"Oh, thank the All Spark."

* * *

 **That night, Soundwave's berth room, normal Pov**

Soundwave tucks us into our berth in holoform—Star and I wearing pink Paw Patrol sleepers with a large Skye and Everest graphic, while Bee wears a blue one with a large Marshall and Chase graphic. Once we're settled, he gives us our pacifiers, then pulls the black and purple Decepticon-symbol blanket up to our chins. "Recharge well, younglings. Tomorrow is a busy day."

* * *

 **The next Morning**

"Younglings."

"Soundie?"

Soundwave sighs softly. "Sunspark, you have to meet with Scrapper today—Hook is going to be there too, and it'll be in one of the isolation rooms in the med-bay, and I will make sure the cameras are down so you will be allowed to be yourself." I smile up at him. "I remember how much you wished to help the combiners, Sweetspark."

"Thanks, Soundie…"

"Crossfire, Brightstar, while Sunspark is in her meeting with Devastator, I expect the two of you to behave, and to stay safe."

"Yes, Sir."

"You may go around the ship, but keep Ravage with you for surveillance. Laserbeak and I will be on the bridge. I have a shift until three this afternoon. Rumble, Frenzy: no pranking."

"AWWWW! But Soundwave!"

"No. Pranking." He hands out energon cubes, then turns to me. "You will need to talk with Knockout or Hook about getting your hand and foot cared for as well."

"Yes, Sir." It had woken me up in tears last night, and it's not much better today, so I'm trying not to stand too much.

"Try not to show your pain until you are out of the hallways."

"Who knows who we really are?"

Soundwave sighs. "Breakdown _and_ Wildrider… Knockout… Firestorm… and my Minicons and I."

"So Scrapper doesn't know?"

"He will after today, but I will have him sworn to secrecy, and they've been disenchanted with the cons as well…"

My eyes light up. "They might comes wiffs us!" We all know that Soundwave is planning to defect to Dad's team, but that he just hasn't decided _how_ to do it yet.

"They might, but you will have to do a good job of promoting your case to them."

"I will."

"Good. Now, you must go. I will have surveillance on your siblings from the bridge, so do not worry about them. I will let you know if they run into Motormaster."

"Thanks, Soundie." I slide off our berth with a wince, and, with my pacifier in my subspace, start for the medical bay.

* * *

"Good Morning, Sunspark."

"Hi, Knocky."

He crouches to me. "Hook's back in the last ICU room, and he's got Scrapper in there with him. I heard you were meeting with them?"

"Yep!"

"Then go right on back."

"Scrapper?"

The green and purple mech stands before smiling at me. "Sunspark, I assume? Barricade said you wanted to talk with us." I nod, and check around for any sign that someone's watching or listening in, then scan around to be safe. Nothing. Soundwave came through for me. I sag in relief and reach up before removing my holo-projector. " _Mariposa Prime_ …"

I nod, and smile. "I heard you guys were upset with Megatron…"

Scrapper shrugs. "You _did_ warn us… But Mari…we've already made our choice…"

I shake my head. "If you decide to change sides, Dad would be glad to let you join us—he's not like Uncle Megs, Scrap, and I promise he won't turn anyone away if they're sincere." I shrug. "Besides, Grem shouldn't have to run away every time a commander that's not you shows up…"

"Do you know when you're going home?" I shake my head. "Who on the ship would know?"

"Soundie…He's keepin' us safe."

Hook looks down at me. "Us… You mean—"

"All fwee us." I lock eyes with Hook. "Screamer 'bused us…den we runned into 'Master yesterday…"

"Primus…" Hook shakes his head. "That explains why Breakdown wanted the med-bay to himself last night… He needed to fix his brother, I know, but—"

"'Rider knows, Hook."

"I'm aware of that now."

Scrapper sighs. "I need to talk with my brothers, then we'll get back to either you or Soundwave, okay?" I nod. "Good."

"All right, good. We're bringing security cameras online." I slap the holo-projection magnet on my chest. ' _All clear, Soundie!_ '

' _Cover secure?_ '

' _Cover secure._ '

' _Cameras coming on._ '

"Hookie?"

He crouches to me. "Yes, Little Miss?"

"You fix my foot an' hand?"

"Of course." He boosts me onto the berth. "What's wrong with it?"

"Nerve disorder…needs fixied…"

"Got it."


	8. Preschool Cons

I have a poll on my profile page asking a question I really want to have answered. I'm trying to get as many answers as I can, and very few people visit my profile. I've gotten literally one answer in a week, and that's sad. Please answer, and be honest about it.

* * *

I only own my OC's!

* * *

Preschool Cons

 **6:00 AM, _nemesis_ , Soundwave's Room, Normal POV**

Soundwave's long, thin fingers shake me awake gently. "Mariposa. Brightstar. Bumblebee. Wake up."

We sit up and rub our eyes tiredly. "Morning…"

"Prepare for a bath—holoforms, please."

We nod, and shift into holoform while he wakes Rumble and Frenzy. "Rumble. Frenzy. Prepare for bath. Holoform." He turns to us. "Into the tub."

The three of us clamber into the tub, and are quickly and efficiently scrubbed, before being taken out of the tub and wrapped in towels—mine pink, Star's purple, and Bee's yellow. We stand, wrapped in the towels, while he bathes Rumble and Frenzy, who are about the same size as four month old infants. He dresses them in matching tops with "I'm the Real Deal" in camouflage, and matching camo shorts with black Velcro boots. He then turns to Bee, Star, and I, and dresses Star and I in a baby pink tank top with "John Deere farm Girl", pink shorts, and pink sandals before dressing Bee in a similar outfit in blue.

He hands Bee, Star, and I each a backpack that matches our names with coloring books, John Deere fleece quilts, and our binkies on strings, as well as some energon inside our namesake insect cups, then hands his twin minicons backpacks in their colors with the same things inside, minus the binkies.

He kneels to me and gently takes my small right hand in his giant one. "Does this still hurt?"

I nod, causing him to give me a small cup of kids pain medicine, which I gulp down quickly before returning to bot form so as to keep my disguise. The burn on my hand had been bad enough to cause lasting effects after a medic's attention. "Rumble. Frenzy. Come with me. Crossfire, Silvermoon, follow." He picks me up and carries me down to Knockout.

"Hi, Knocky, Hi, Breaky!" I turn to the counter. "Hookie! Hi!"

"Hello, Sunspark."

"Hey, Sun."

"Hey, Sunny."

I look down to the small, holoform brown-haired femmeling in a purple short sleeved blouse, a purple and gold plaid skort, white socks, and purple tennis shoes. "Stormy comes?"

Breakdown smiles down at me. "Yes, Mari."

"Gremlin too. Scrapper signed her up a few days ago." I turn to Hook, and find another brown-haired youngling holoform. She's wearing a green T-shirt with purple overalls shorts, and white socks with green tennis shoes tied with purple laces.

"Sunspark: needs bandage."

Knockout takes my tiny, normal-looking hand—the damage outside was healed, but, though they had reversed my RSD, they hadn't been able to completely cure it, though they forced it into remission, and it seems to have reared its ugly, painful head again—though at an early enough stage to knock it into remission again with treatment—something a Decepticon medic on a spaceship is unable to give—and puts a tiny, light pink compression glove on it, followed by a pink wrist brace. "Try to keep it dry, Sweetspark."

"Yes, Sir." I whimper. "Foot too?"

"Oh, Sweetspark…" He takes off my sandal, pulls a pink compression sock and foot brace up onto my foot, then puts my sandal back on. "I'll run another temperature treatment when you get back from school."

"Fank'u."

* * *

 **7:00 AM, Jasper, Nevada**

Soundwave shifts down to holoform and puts us all—Rumble, Frenzy, Me, Bee, Star, Gremlin, and Firestorm—in a large, collapsible wagon before starting to walk to the preschool. We get there soon, and we head up to the door. "Mari? Bee? Star?"

"Hi, Ms. Livy!"

She looks up to Soundwave's holoform nervously. "You are?"

"Solomon Wave. These are my sons, Riley and Freddy."

"I don't take babies, Sir."

Frenzy looks up at her. "We're not babies."

She blinks before looking back up to Soundwave, quickly pushing Bee, Star, and I behind her. "You're one of _them_."

"Not by choice, I assure you." He ushers the trio of five-vorn-olds in and steps inside the building so he can talk freely. "Neither are the Carriers of the femmelings. Gremlin's Carrier the commander of a combiner, and is preparing to defect."

"That's me!"

"She's Gremlin—her Carrier and Uncles call her Grem—human name Georgia." Soundwave nods. "But the other's spouse is part of a combiner that is unable to leave without them, so he has no choice but to stay."

"And her name is?"

She smiles up at her. "I'm Firestorm, but you can call me Stormy. That's my human name."

"My mechlings are minicons, named Rumble and Frenzy. They are solely from my spark."

"Interesting…" She smiles at him. "We usually end class at 9:30, and school ends at 11."

"I will return at the end of class. Have the seven ready."

"Seven?"

He sighs heavily. "I have not figured out how to safely return the triplets as well as escape the Decepticons with my children. Until I am able, I have to keep the three. If my commander were to learn that I have brought them here…" He sighs heavily. "He would hurt me, my children, and his captives more than he already has."

"I understand."

"Mariposa needs pain medicine at eight."

"Why?" She looks down to me. "Mari?"

"I used to have a nerve disorder, but we sent it in'a remission. It came back 'cause of Screamer…"

"Okay, Sweetheart." She leads us into the playroom. Everyone else is there—minus my sister and brother—and they're all happy to see me.

Lecto's wearing an orange polo with a motorcycle graphic, patchwork plaid shorts, white socks, brown boots with Velcro ankles, and a brown cap, while Blue's wearing a red T-shirt, gray overalls shorts, red socks, and gray tennis shoes. Electra's wearing a green polo and a plaid skort with brown boots and a gold leather jacket. Snowy is in a white tank top, white floral print denim shorts, and white sandals, and Lyric's wearing an orange tank top, black jean shorts, and orange sandals. Kori Ann is wearing the same thing as Stormy with silver instead of gold, and the PowerPuff Girls are wearing polos and plaid skorts in their colors.

"Class, this is Firestorm, this is Gremlin, and these two are Rumble and Frenzy."

"They're—"

"I'm aware, Snowfire." She crouches to her. "It's going to be okay, all right?"

"O-okay."

* * *

The second class ends, we hear a knock on the door. Ms. Olivia goes to open it, and reveals Soundwave's holoform. "I am here for the younglings."

"Stormy, get Gremlin, Mari, Star, and Bee for me please?" She nods. "Rumble, Frenzy…"

The two walk over in their bot form. "We're right here." They shift down to holoform and smile up at Soundwave.

"Carrier!"

"Boss!"

"Boss?" Ms. Olivia gives Soundwave a look, causing him to shrug.

"They help around the ship. I prefer them calling me that on board because I want to protect them." He turns to us. "Younglings?"

"Soundie!" I run over and hug his leg.

"Sounds!" Bee hugs his other leg.

"Sounder!" Star hugs both legs, grouping Bee and I with them.

Soundwave crouches to us so we can hug him for real. "Were you three good?"

"Uh-huh!"

"Did Ms. Olivia give you your pain medicine?"

I nod. "Uh-huh."

"Good." He leads us all out the door to the wagon, and boosts us all inside before starting for a place where he can bridge us back to the _Nemesis_.

* * *

We stop at the med-bay to drop off Gremlin and Firestorm, who both run to their Carriers excitedly. "Carrier!"

Knockout crouches to his daughter. "How was school, Little One?"

Firestorm pouts. "Too short."

"First grade will be longer, all right?"

"Okay…"

"Uncle Hook! I'm back!" Gremlin looks around. "Where's Carrier?"

"He's with your uncles, checking out an energon signal. He'll be back in a little while. How was school?"

"Good…"

"Grem? What's wrong Baby?" Hook crouches to her. "What happened?"

"Why's Mari gotta come back here with us? Why can't she just go home to her family?"

He looks up to Soundwave before sighing heavily as he turns back to his niece. "Because we have to find a way for them to go home safely, and we've got to find our way there as well."

"We're gonna leave Stormy?"

He sighs. "We have to, for now. She'll find us again, Little One. Breakdown just needs a little more courage first."

I smile at what I'm hearing. Breakdown's only been _this_ close to leaving Motormaster _once_ before, and _that_ was after I got him locked up…

* * *

Soundwave changes Star and I into a baby pink long sleeved t-shirt with a green John Deere tractor print, black pants, a light pink fleece vest, light pink socks, and pink tennis shoes, then changes Bee into a matching blue version before letting us play with the other three minicons and Ravage. After a minute, I walk over and hand the not-really-a-Con mech my yellow slip of paper—the letter from the teacher about our pool day.

* * *

 **7:30 PM, _Nemesis_ , Soundwave's Room**

Soundwave helps our holoform frames into pink or red sock monkey sleepers, then puts the minicon twins' holoforms into black or blue sleepers with red sleeves. After tucking his minicons into their berth with a black and blue blanket, he tucks Bee and I into our temporary berth with a black and purple blanket, and each of us have a Decepticon symbol pillow.


	9. Returned

I only own my OC's!

* * *

Returned

 **6:00 AM, _Nemesis_ , Soundwave's Room, Normal POV**

Soundwave wakes us up the usual way, and gets us into the tub in the corner before waking his twins and, surprisingly, putting them in with us this time. We squeal, and start splashing each other, having a sort of bots-vs-cons water battle. Once we're all clean, he takes Bee, Star, and I out before dressing Star and I in a yellow and white short sleeved T-shirt with a pink collar, pink overalls shorts with a green John Deere tractor graphic, before putting my compression sock, foot brace, compression glove, and wrist brace on, then helps us into our pink sandals. He then dresses Bee in a yellow and white short sleeved T-shirt with a blue collar, blue overalls shorts with a green John Deere tractor graphic, and blue sandals.

He then pulls Rumble and Frenzy out and dresses them in red or blue T-shirts with surfboard graphics and "Little Dudes make Big Waves", orange and either red or blue plaid shorts, white socks, and black boots with Velcro ankles.

We get our backpacks, he hooks our pacifier necklaces over our heads, and we go to the med-bay of the ship to pick up Firestorm, who's wearing a purple short sleeved T-shirt, pink overalls shorts, white socks, and purple tennis shoes; and Gremlin, who's wearing a green and purple star-print sundress with her green and purple tennis shoes.

I wave up at Breakdown. "Hi, Breaky! Hi, Scrapper!"

Breakdown crouches to me. "Be careful today, Sweetsparks. We don't need another combiner getting hurt."

"I know." I smile up at him. "I know Motormaster and the others are meanies…" I pat his arm before turning to leave. "Hang in there, Breaky. It'll get better."

At that, we all head down to Earth with the wagon and start toward the school.

* * *

He shows up, as usual, at 9:30 in the morning, and takes us back to the ship. We head to the med-bay to drop off Firestorm and Gremlin. Hook and Knockout are working on a vehicon, with Breakdown and Scrapper assisting.

"Scrapper."

"Yeah?" He looks up. "Soundwave. What did you need?"

' _My berth room at 1600 hours._ '

"Got it. We'll be there."

* * *

He changes us into white long sleeved t-shirts with a green John Deere tractor graphic, light pink or blue pants, socks, and our tennis shoes we came with. We start playing with the minicon twins while Soundwave watches us. "Rumble. Frenzy." The two minicons heads pop up. "Begin packing your belongings." He moves to start gathering his things and wiping his computer's memory. "Mariposa. Brightstar. Bumblebee." We look up to him. He hasn't used our real names on the _Nemesis_ since we got our holo-paint done. "Pack new clothes in backpacks. Do not forget anything. Old clothes are clean, and are under bed with new." He loads blankets, pillows, and transfer drives, as well as towels—red, blue, purple, and my pink, Star's purple, and Bee's yellow—and the minicon's soap with seals under the caps. He grabs laundry soap—with seals—and continues to pack and clean, while Bee, Star, and I finish up and start playing with our plastic tractor toys while we watch the others—even Ravage and Laserbeak—scramble around to make it seem like no one ever lived here.

* * *

Soundwave stacks mine, Star's, and Bee's berth, and Rumble and Frenzy's berth, then shoves them under the large berth before grabbing Ravage's berth and slipping it into his subspace. "Laserbeak, return." The bird flies over and docks on his chest. "Ravage, return." The cyber-cat jumps to his shoulders and docks securely. "Rumble, return." The minicon climbs up and docks to his left arm. "Frenzy, return." He climbs and docks to his right arm. Now he looks like he did before the war, except for different colors than before.

"Soundie?" I look up to him. "What happen?"

He pulls out clean outfits and helps Star and I into pink long sleeved T-shirts with a Supergirl symbol print, yellow overalls with a Supergirl symbol on the chest, light pink socks, and Supergirl capes. He slips my foot brace back on, then slips on my pink tennis shoes before putting Star's purple ones on her. While we're getting dressed, Bee changes into a blue Superman outfit that matches mine and Star's. With his long, thin fingers, he sticks our old clothes into our backpacks before zipping them. "Get your blankies and put your backpacks on, younglings." He sighs when we set down our tractor toys. "Take your toys too." We do, and he picks me up, and sticks my pacifier in my mouth, then does the same with Bee and Star, since we're still in holoform. A tiny, holoform Ratbat winds up cradled in my arms a moment later, the little guy—now black and furry like his organic counterparts—cuddles into my chest.

"Where we go?"

"Earth." Soundwave sets coordinates to the location of a low mountain range, and a portal appears. A moment later we hear a knock on the door. "Enter, quickly." The Constructicons step in quickly, with Gremlin in Scrapper's arms and a little purple backpack on her back. Hook takes Bee while Scavenger takes Star, leaving me because I'm holding Ratbat. We slip through the bridge silently, and he quickly closes it. " **Soundwave to Autobot Base. I have left the Decepticons and am looking to join the Autobots. I have Mariposa, Brightstar, Bumblebee, and the Constructicons. They are defecting with me. Please bring Defensor. Mariposa needs medical attention.** "

While we wait, we shift back to our bot frames, and I hand the tiny, now-purple and metal, Ratbat up to Soundwave.

* * *

 **11:30 AM, Autobot Base Omega One, Third POV**

"Optimus, we've got a high-frequency signal, with an embedded message."

The prime—as well as Elita, who's holding Fixit as Mariposa used to before he could walk—approach the comm screen. "Play the message."

" _Soundwave to Autobot Base. I have left the Decepticons and am looking to join the Autobots. I have Mariposa, Brightstar, Bumblebee, and the Constructicons. They are defecting with me. Please bring Defensor. Mariposa needs medical attention._ "

Optimus reaches up to his comm. "Autobots, return to base."

" _Wha's wrong, Prime?_ "

"We just got a communication from Soundwave."

" _Activate the ground bridge._ "

By the time everyone's returned, Red Alert and the younglings are in the main room as well, and the sparkling twins are taking a nap. Optimus turns to the Protectobots, who are hovering close to Elita and Fixit. "Hot Spot, you and your team need to come with me."

* * *

 **?, Normal POV**

Soundwave, visor still on, locks eyes with Sire as he walks through the ground bridge. He sets me down, causing Hook and Scavenger to set Bee and Star on the ground, then takes off the special hologram magnets Knockout had stuck to us, causing Sire to crouch to us. Bee and Star run to him as I limp-run behind them. "Sire!"

"Mariposa! Brightstar! Bumblebee!" He hugs the three of us before passing us off to Hot Spot, Groove, and First Aid, and standing. "Soundwave?"

He kneels and looks down, then takes off his visor and looks up to Optimus. "I am willing to do anything to pay for my crimes against you, Sir."

I gasp, and limp-run back to Soundwave, and hug him before standing between him and Sire. "If you do something to him, you do it to me too!" Yep. I just pulled a Pocahontas.

"I am not going to harm him, Sweetspark. Rise, Soundwave."

"Sir?"

"Come with us. You will be treated fairly. Scrapper?"

He hands Gremlin off to Hook and steps forward. "Yes, Sir."

"Are your intentions to defect true?"

He nods. "Yes, Sir."

Sire nods with a sincere smile. "Then come back to the base with us. Prowl will talk you through our regulations, and you will be given a room and a duty schedule."

"Thank you, Sir."

I look up between the two. "Uppy?" Soundwave nods, and carries me on his hip through the ground bridge.

* * *

 **12:00 PM, Autobot Base Omega One, Normal POV**

Carrier looks up as we walk back through. "Soundwave? The Constructicons? What in—" She suddenly grins. "Mari! Oh, Sweetspark!" She runs over, almost dropping my minicon in her hurry to reach us.

"Stop."

"Soundwave."

He stares straight at Carrier. "Mariposa is in pain. You must be gentle."

Carrier nods and moves close at a much slower pace. He hands me off, taking Fixit instead. "What's wrong, Sweetspark?"

I turn and reach for Ratchet. "Fixie me pwease?"

He walks over to me with a gentle smile. Out the corner of my eye, I can see Soundwave hand Fixit to Streetwise, and Prowl and Red Alert lead him out of the room with Sire behind him. "What do I need to fix, Sweetspark?"

"Foot an' han'." I look down before giving him a sad look. "Starscream sticky hands an' feets in 'gon while we was human form… He putty us on floor an' we steppy on poikeys… We climby up the cabinet, an' he pushy us to floor—we hitty wings an' head… Den he getty burny, an' roast han's… Den he frow us back on'a fwoor. Dis time we hitty butts, an' hitty wings 'gain… Den we nappy… He kicky us in'a backs, wakey us… He claw tummies… Den he poikey all over 'roun' ouchies, den poikey han's an' chee's…" I whimper. "Den we twy be fwiends to hi' 'parkles, an' dey pushy us in'a bookshelf…desk…frow shapeys a' us…bitey us…"

"Oh, Sweetspark…"

Bee looks sad as First Aid walks over with him in his arms. "Mari nerve dis-o'der back…"

"Ah…" Ratchet sighs heavily. "I'll get to work on her. Aid, bring Bumblebee and follow me. Groove, I'll need you to bring Brightstar so I can check her over as well. Streetwise, we'll need Fixit. Hook, come with, and bring the femmeling. I need to examine her. The rest of you will be given an appointment while with Prowl." The mech sets Fixit down, and the minicon runs after us.

* * *

Ratchet sets us on the floor gently, beside the anxious minicon. "Keep the compression bandages on for a week, then I'll check your flare again. The medication should take care of it soon." He sighs. "Hook, you may take Gremlin back into the main room and join your brothers. They are downstairs in the first office."

"Yes, Sir."

"And none of that. Most of us aren't that formal here. Prowl's the only one on-base who is."

"Thanks, Ratch." I hug his leg before leading Bee, Star, and Fixit out the door into the main room, barely limping this time. We head to our room after giving the Protectobots each a hug, and start to unpack the things the now ex-Decepticon had bought us while we were in his care.

* * *

 **4:00 PM, Autobot Base Omega One, Normal POV**

"Fixit?"

The minicon's head pops up, and he smiles at Sire. "Is it time?"

My head pops up from where Bee, Star, and I are coloring in our school-themed coloring datapads—in our normal forms, of course—with our twin sister and brother squished as close as elbow room allows. "Time for what, Fixit?"

"We are going to pick up his sparklings. Would you three like to come?"

I squeal. "Of course!" I blink when I remember Soundwave. "Where Soundie?"

He smiles. "Soundwave is getting settled in his new berth room, then he will be setting up an office."

I grin before elbowing Bee and Star. "Come on. Let's go get Fixie's sparkles."

The three of us hop off our berth—which Bee, Star, and I haven't seen for almost a week—and follow Sire and Fixit to the ground bridge. The Twinlets move to follow, causing me to shake my head. "Not right now, Little Ones. We'll be back soon."

* * *

 **?, Normal POV**

The four of us look up at Firestar—a red femme Bee and I recognize as one of Carrier's crew—as she steps through the ground bridge cradling a slightly-older-than-a-newspark minicon in her arms. Fixit rushes forward before she's fully out of the bridge. The moment she reaches the end of the bridge, she kneels to the minicon and hands the small orange sparkling—this one with a pink fuzzy scrunchie on her arm—to her nearly desperate Carrier.

Fixit quickly yet carefully takes the tiny femmeling into his arms. The little one is awake, and looks up at her Carrier with bright blue optics. "Hey, Sweetspark…my Aurora…"

"Fixit…"

This time it's Aunt Chromia, with an identical sparkling, this one with a blue scrunchie. She kneels beside him with the mechling before easing him into Fixit's other arm. "Lightshock…"

By now, Moonracer, Glyph, and Lancer are standing there as well, each femme soldier cradling an identical sparkling. Knowing that Fixit's arms are full, I dart forward to take the last femmeling from Moonracer—she's got a purple scrunchie, and her name is Aquamarine—while Star takes the sparkling—a mech with a green scrunchie, named Wheelie—from Glyph, and Bee takes the last mech—with an orange scrunchie, named Sparkblaze—from Lancer.

We watch the femmes head back through the ground bridge before calling back for a bridge. Fixit can reunite with the others once we're out of 'Con reach.

~ _Clear the berth. Aid needs to check the sparklies._ ~

~ _ **Berth clear and waiting.**_ ~

~ _Thanks, D-Wave._ ~

* * *

 **4:30 PM, Autobot Base Omega One, Normal Pov**

We step into the base and head toward our room, planning to lay the sparklings—who are only about two Cybertronian months old—on our berth. When we step through the door, however, we find the Protectobots there; Hot Spot standing in front of a door that connects to an empty room, First Aid standing beside the berth waiting to look them over, and the other three standing around a five-seat stroller, color coordinated perfectly with the quints.

Fixit walks right past the stroller to First Aid and hands the sparklings to him almost hesitantly before turning to the other three. "You didn't have to get anything for me…"

"There's more than that, Fixit."

I look over at Hot Spot from where I'm handing Aquamarine to First Aid, now that the first two are lying on our berth. "What'd' ya do, Spot?"

He smirks at me as Bee and Star hand "their" sparklings off to First Aid. "Come on."

I blink, instantly knowing what the Protectobots had done, and move the minicon that's only a couple feet smaller than me. "You go first, Little One."

Hot Spot leads us into the formerly empty room—since Snowfire moved in with Ratchet and Red after the Decepticon attack at school. Inside are five minicon-sized blue cribs with color-coordinated sheets and blankets, as well as their stuffed animals, rattles, playmats, and boppies, with mobiles hanging over them, a rocking chair with the boppy I'd gotten him, five carrier car seats in their "colors", and five high chairs for when they're older. A large collection of five and nine ounce metal bottles are in a large metal box against the wall. There's a door to our left that, when checked, leads to a bathroom completely scaled to the minicon who'll be using it, with drawers that contain enough baby clothes for cover when we leave the base with them. The floors in both are a light blue carpet, and the walls have the same rainbow mural that the prepared nursery had back on Cybertron—the one they never got to use.

Fixit looks up to Hot Spot with a tearful smile. "You did all this for us?"

Hot Spot smiles. "Anything for our little sister." Fixit looks up to me, causing me to shake my head. I'd never expected this. "For Starlight, Fixit. All of you."

Fixit nods before rushing back into our room to check on the little ones who are still with First Aid. "How are my bitlets?"

"Healthy, happy…" He trails off as Aurora, full name Aurora Grace, starts to fuss. "And I think, starting to get hungry." He finishes with a chuckle.

Fixit's optics widen and he looks from the quints to their new nursery. "Um…"

I step over and lay a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay."

He looks up to me nervously. "I-I made sure to keep my supply up, but…what if it's not enough?"

I sigh softly and hug the little guy. "It's going to be all right, Little One." I smile slightly.

I remember tears streaming down your face  
When I said, "I'll never let you go."  
When all those shadows almost killed your light  
I remember you said, "Don't leave me here alone,"  
But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight

Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound

Don't you dare look out your window, darling.  
Everything's on fire  
The war outside our door keeps raging on  
Hold onto this lullaby  
Even when the music's gone  
Gone

Just close your eyes  
The sun is going down  
You'll be alright  
No one can hurt you now  
Come morning light  
You and I'll be safe and sound

The country song, which I'd used as a lullaby for the minicon through the entire carriage and any time he'd been upset afterwards, causes Blades to duck out of the room. I duck out behind him and look up at the mech's teary faceplates. "Hey…it's all right, Blades. They're back now."

"I know… You can't tell me you don't think about it still…"

I shake my head. "Just last week I lost it over it again. You know that. Sometimes it pops up in my mind, just like those Rescue Bots quotes used to."

He chuckles at that. "I'd almost forgot we had a series in your dimension."

I nod. "And your voice still throws me sometimes. How you sound at the beginning…asking about Cybertron HQ…and why you're the last rescue squad…" I tear up, and look around for a place to hide before shaking my head and running toward Hot Spot, who's still in my room. I throw myself in his arms as my shoulders start to shake.

"MARI!"

Hot Spot smiles beside himself. "Easy, you guys. I used to do this too, when I was a sparkling." He turns his attention to me. "Mari?" He sighs and walks over to the door to get Blades. "Shhh. It's okay." He opens the door. "Blades? You okay?"

Blades looks up before sighing heavily. "Just a flashback…"

"Ditto…" I whimper out.

"She looked like she was about to pull one of Aid's hiding tricks for a minute."

"No wan' you sees…bu' no wan' be 'lones either." I pop up and look around. "Where's Fixit?"

"In the nursery."

First Aid turns to us. "He's nursing the sparklets, so you may want to give him some time alone with them." He reaches over and rubs my back. "And we're still here, Mari."

I lean back and look at my hands before holding them up. "Only 'cause of these…tha's not easy on a sparkle, Aidie…"

"I know, Sweetspark…" He holds out his arms, and I reach for him. "Why don't we find you five a book while Fixit's bonding with his sparkles?"

Bee runs over with one of the smaller books I'd brought with me. "Aid read!"

Star squeals. "Aidie's gonna read, Twinsies!"

Aid chuckles. "All right. Go on and get on the berth."


	10. New Girl on Base

I have a poll on my profile page asking a question I really want to have answered. I'm trying to get as many answers as I can, and very few people visit my profile. I've gotten literally one answer in a week, and that's sad. Please answer, and be honest about it.

* * *

 **I only own my OC's! Mentions of Sexual child abuse.**

* * *

New Girl on Base

 **6:00 PM, Autobot Base Omega One, Normal POV**

Bee, Fixit, Star, the Twinlets, and I are in the main room with the sparklings, watching the PowerPuff Girls on the TV while the sparklings nap in their stroller. The other younglings are out with us, and we're all sitting around—and on—the couch. Rumble and Frenzy are sitting on either side of Bee and I on the couch, with Star between us and the twinlets on top of us, while the others—including Gremlin—sit either on the other end of the couch or in front of the coffee table.

"PRIME!"

"Agent Fowler?"

"Heard you had some new intel."

Sire nods. "Soundwave has defected from the Decepticons. He is back in his office at the moment, but if you wish to speak with him, I can get him."

"Who's that with Mari?"

"Two of his symbiotes. He has five."

"You mean like Mari's cat-thing."

"Yes."

I jolt to my feet. "I haven't seen Glimmer since I got back!"

"You still have her?"

I nod to Frenzy, who's closest to me. "Yep!" As if on cue, the mechanical feline runs in—followed by Ravage. The two pad up the steps before lying down beside the stroller protectively. I slip over to her and hug Glimmer—getting the usual annoyed growl—before stroking her head. "I missed you, Glim." I turn to Agent Fowler. "That one's Ravage. He's Soundwave's oldest. Then Laserbeak, then Rumble and Frenzy." I point to the couch. "That's them. Fren's closer to you, Rumble is by Bee. Then there's the baby, Ratbat. He's with Soundie still."

"I thought Soundwave was loyal to Megatron."

I giggle and shake my head. "Nope. He's been loyal to me since Dad saved him from slavery, back before I was in this dimension." I smile. "Saved us from Screamer, too."

"So the _Con_ without a face is a _Bot_ now."

"HE HAS A FACE, DUMBO!"

"Mariposa."

"But Sire, he's not faceless!"

"I know, Sweetspark, but Agent Fowler does not." Sire turns to Agent Fowler. "He uses the visor to create space and ground bridges at will, though my younglings prefer him without it."

Brightstar nods. "He's scary with it."

"And the others?"

"The Constructicons—a combiner team, led by Scrapper. They are still with Prowl, then we'll be assigning them a room as well. Scrapper's daughter Gremlin is with the younglings on the platform."

"Optimus…" Sire and I turn to Ratchet expectantly. "I've got a signal on a neutral Cybertronian near the park. Seems to be either an older sparkling or youngling."

"Elita, Arcee, come with me."

"Daddy?" He looks down at me. "Can I come?"

He sighs softly before nodding. "You too, Bumblebee."

I smile. I don't get to play commander much yet with my siblings, because besides Bee and Star, they're sparklings still, and we share the command when we "twin up". "Star, Twinlets, let's roll."

* * *

 **Jasper Park**

We step out of the ground bridge in our normal forms, taking the risk of being caught for once. I'm carrying D-Wave on my right hip, and holding Star's hand in my left, while Bee has Light on his left hip, and is holding Star's free hand in his right. Sire, Carrier, and Aunt Arcee are standing protectively behind us.

We look around the empty park, our eyes landing on a five year old girl crying on a bench. She's wearing a black cap sleeved shirt with spider web lace on the sleeves and a white embroidered collar, a multi-layered skirt with six layers: layer one is a spider web-like, black material on the bottom, layer two is shorter and solid black, layer three is shorter than that and red and black with a touch of white plaid, layer four is shorter than that and a spider web material again, layer five is black in the same pattern but again shorter than the previous layer, and layer six is a small piece of red and black plaid, and covered in safety pins and chains, spider web leggings, a red tie with a black spider web print, three safety pins, and more chains with a skull pendant to hold them in place but also let them dangle down to almost the end of the tie where a red cross pendant hangs at the end, red socks, combat boots with red laces. She looks punk, but no one in their right mind would dress a kid like that. I hand D-Wave to Star and step over before Sire can stop me. "Hi. I'm Mari. Are you okay?"

"I'm Miko." She shakes her head. "M-my foster parents h-hate me, a-and l-let this gr-group named M-MECH e-experiment on me, b-because I-I'm p-part r-robot…"

"That's okay. I'm all robot." She looks up at me in shock, only to gasp. "You look like my real mommy did…" She turns to the others. "Who are they!?"

"That's my Daddy, my Mommy, my Aunt Cee, and my gestalt siblings. We came to rescue you."

She reaches up to Arcee, who picks her up gently. "Let's get you to base, Sweetspark."

"Okay…"

* * *

 **Autobot Base Omega One**

We walk back through the bridge, and Arcee sets the little girl on the floor. "She claims to be techno-organic, Ratchet."

I run over to her after grabbing my new and tiny medical kit. "She said a group named MECH 'sperimented on her—that her foster parents let them 'cause they hate her."

As I start to look her over, Agent Fowler steps over. "We got a call from a Mr. John Daniels a few minutes ago, about their foster daughter running away when they were about to take her somewhere. He didn't specify where."

She looks up to the black man. "T-they were g-going t-to take me t-to M-MECH, so th-they could h-hurt m-me."

"Bee, get the others out. They don't need to see this."

"Come on, Star, Twinlets. Let's go see what Patches is doing in our room."

I close my eyes, opening them slowly. "Miko, what did they want to do to you?"

"U-usually, th-they just do 'speriments on me, but last time they said they were going to start teaching me how to "do" someone… I don't know what they meant, but the guy touched my pwivates after that…so…so I runded 'way when they say is time go…"

Agent Fowler takes my place after I pack up my stuff. "Are you in school?"

"They force-age me…I was in ten gwade."

"It's okay…" Agent Fowler straightens up. "I'll let the Foster Care system know she's—"

"Fowler." He looks up to Bulkhead. "Jackie and I want to adopt her."

"Two-ton—" He sighs heavily. "I'll tell them we've got someone who wants to adopt her, but I can't promise anything." He steps back from the little girl. "You'll need to go get a bed, and clothes for her, too. Make sure you're ready for home inspections and everything. I'll have Prime's fake house redesigned for you when you need it. You'll need to get her into kindergarten, too. I'm trusting you, Bigfoot. Don't make me regret it."

"I won't." Bulkhead sighs after he leaves, and turns to me. "Mari? Does Starlight wanna come with us, and help?"

"Sure!"

"Really?"

"Of course." ~ _Come out! Come out! We're going with Bulky to get stuffs for the new girl! He's 'dopting her!_ ~

"You will need to buy a booster seat as well. I will lend you Lyric's until you return, and I am sure Elita will give you the triplets' boosters, and the twins' car seat until you return with them."

"Will I get what I had back at the Daniels?"

"Isn't most of it too big for you now?"

"I guess…"

"If you want it, I can send someone to get it."

"Nah, that's okay…" She smiles. "Nothing really 'portant there anyway."

* * *

We pull into the Tranquility Mall and park before the six of us climb out with Bulkhead's holoform. "Okay, Bailey, Landon, Claire, Dawn, and Mari, hold hands, and Mari, hold mine. Miko…" He holds out a hand to the five-year-old, and she takes it nervously, sticking her other thumb in her mouth. The first thing he does is stop and rent a mall stroller for two, then he buys a purple collapsible stroller like Soundwave's—purple apparently being Miko's favorite color. The four of us not in the stroller clamber into the wagon.

We start at The Children's Place, and rotate through the stores to get her clothes and shoes, as well as order furniture—to be picked up the next day—and bath supplies.

Once we've got everything we need, we head toward the exit. It's dark out now. Bulkhead loads the back of his vehicle mode before letting the six of us in. After helping with seatbelts and car seat clasps, he starts for the base.

We're all sent to bed once we get home, the newly-bought clothes and toys remaining in Bulkhead's subspace for the night. Bee and I climb into bed with our siblings—in holoform and still in our clothes—and cuddle into Fixit, who is curled in an exhausted heap at the back of the berth.


	11. Field Trip

I have a poll on my profile page asking a question I really want to have answered. I'm trying to get as many answers as I can, and very few people visit my profile. I've gotten literally one answer in a week, and that's sad. Please answer, and be honest about it.

* * *

 **I only own my OC's!**

* * *

Field Trip

 **Friday, MAy 1, morning, normal POV**

I slide out of the pile of siblings with a soft huff of annoyance. I may have as much energy as a certain Protectobot, but I can't have my siblings pull the Protectobots trick to get said mech to recharge. ' _I may have as much energy as Spot, but that doesn't mean you have to pull the 'pile on her to make her charge' like they do with him! Yeash, guys! My doorwings are too sensitive for that!_ ' Said appendages flick in annoyance. ' _Seriously, gu—_ ' I pause in my mental rant when I hear a soft sound through the open door leading to the new nursery set up for Fixit's sparklings. I pad over to the door in my bare feet and peek inside. "Fi—" I trail off and smile at the sight of the minicon deep in recharge in the blue rocking chair with an awake, fussy Aurora in his arms. "Fixit, Sweets, wake up…"

He shifts, causing the sparkling to squawk as she starts to slip off his lap. "Mhmmm."

I quickly snatch her before she falls, and hold her against my chest like I used to do with my cousins. "Fixit, Sweetie, you have to wake up now. 'Rora's crying."

"M-Mari?" He looks around and sighs. "Sorry…"

I shake my head. "I'm not going to be like Spot calling Aid out for sneaking off. You had a good reason." I bounce the tiny femmeling in my arms. "But that good reason is starting to fuss again, and her siblings are going to want to be fed soon too, so…" I shift the sparkling to my arms and stick my pinky in her mouth to soothe her. "You really need to wake up, Buddy."

"'M awake." He straightens up and sighs. "I'm awake." He cocks his head to the side. "What happened?"

"She started fussing, and I found you out cold with her in your lap…"

"Primus… I'm sorry, Mari…"

"Don't be." I smile gently and run my free hand over his head. "I know how exhausting caring for newborns are. I've done it for my cousins before." I smirk. "You have anything pumped?"

"You know I do. It's in the kitchen."

"I'll get some, and help you out a little, since we've got a little time before we have to leave for school."

"You don't have to—" We're interrupted by the loud cry of the next oldest two sparklings. "Scrap."

I quickly hand him Aurora and run into my room to wake Bee and Star. We'll need all hands that can help on this one.

Carrier steps into the nursery wearing her chaperone outfit and visor to find the five of us, piled together with Fixit and the newsparks. He's nursing two of the five, while Star, Bee, and I are finishing up with three bottles color-coded to the three we have—purple, green, and orange. "Kids…" She sighs heavily. "You've got to get ready, guys. We've got to go."

"Um… Elita?"

"Agent Fowler's here with that orange van, Fix. He's able to take you in if you decide to go with them, and Olivia's finally managed to hire someone to tend to the toddlers, so she'll have someone to help you out."

"Thank Primus…" He sighs heavily before struggling out of the pile. "You guys—"

"We've got it, Fix."

"I know."

* * *

I herd my siblings into our room. I slip into the closet and pull out our matching yellow and black field trip outfits. Star, Bee, and I quickly get changed, then I help the twinlets into theirs. I tug on the compression glove and sock, then we pull on our socks and shoes and help our younger siblings into their sandals. Carrier fixes our hair, replacing our usual themed clips with stars or K's, then heads out to the main room, where Bulkhead is waiting.

Miko's at his ankles in a green T-shirt like mine and purple jeans, with purple tennis shoes and K clips on her pigtails, and a frog backpack with a purple wallet with a frog graphic on it inside. She's hopping from foot to foot and generally acting like she's excited to get to school. "Hi, guys!"

"Hey, Miko!" I look up to Bulkhead. "What're you waiting for?"

He sighs heavily. "I'm taking the kids in for Arcee because she's got the morning patrol, Gremlin in for Scrapper because they're finishing their berth room, and Soundwave's twins because he's got work with Ratchet."

Arcee steps in with Electro in holoform on her hip in a yellow version of our outfit, his Pikachu backpack already on with his allowance in a Pikachu wallet. Electra walks beside her in holoform, wearing a green shirt and jean shorts, her winky emoji backpack on her back, and her wallet in her hand. "Sorry we took so long, Bulk."

"It's no problem."

Miko nods up to her. "We're still waiting for the mini twins and Gremlin."

"Not anymore!" They run over in holoform, wearing red and blue tops like ours and blue jeans, with their little red and blue backpacks.

"We're still waiting on Grem, guys…"

Bonecrusher steps over with the holoform femmeling in his hand. She's wearing green like green and purple like Miko, but she's got her green and purple tennis shoes on, and her purple backpack on her back. "Sorry we took so long, Bulkhead. Hook couldn't find her shirt."

Bulkhead transforms and opens the back doors for the four passengers—he has two rows of seats thank Primus—and the front door for Miko to get into her booster. "Bulky…" I cross my arms.

"I already cleared it with Prowl, Mari. She doesn't like being that far away from me right now…"

"Hey." We look up to find Fixit with the stroller, and the sparklings in holoform and wearing either dresses or rompers, their little redheads covered with sunhats or bonnets in their signature colors. "Agent Fowler?"

"Over here, Fixit." He steps over and starts securing carriers before folding the stroller up and sticking it into the trunk.

Carrier transforms then, and my siblings and I clamber into our boosters.

* * *

When we get to the kindergarten daycare, we find Snowy, Blue, and Lyric waiting for us with the Tamaranian and three humans. They're all in their field trip outfits—black for Snowy, red for Blue and Lyric, red, blue, and green for the PowerPuffs, and blue for Kori Ann.

"Hey, Guys!" I run over and hug the four. Being gestalt, with them knowing, is great. We're allowed to cuddle the others without them being afraid.

"We finally got home!"

"That's great, Bee!"

The others run inside, leaving Bulkhead standing at the door. After he and Ms. Olivia talk for a few minutes, she turns to us while holding Miko's hand. "Class, this is Miko. She's joining our school for the next few weeks. She's been through a lot, so let's try and make her feel welcome."

Bubbles grins at her and waves. "Hi, Miko!"

I nod before glancing over to watch the new lady helping Fowler and Fixit carry in the five baby carriers, then moves to take D-Wave and Light. "Miss?" She looks down at me. "They're my 'sponsitility 'til school starts, an' all day on trips."

She crouches to me. "I'm Ms. Stephie, Sweetheart. Ms. Livy told me someone here had something special about them… I thought it was the little robot guy, but…"

I giggle. "That's my mini, and no." I smile up at her. "We're—the mini, my triplet brother and sister—And them—" I point to the Twinlets. "All 'stalt. Bein' 'stalt means we merge to be a big bot—'cept the twinlets are too littles yet…" I sigh heavily. "We's special, so we's need to cuddle lots, an' I need'a know dey's okays. They stays wif me 'til we go school, an' they comes ou' af'er school's done. Today we haves fiel' trip wif the pub-lic kin'ergar'en, so we's gonna haves them all days. Cawiew's a cha-per-one."

"What's going on?"

"Hi, Blossom." I sigh heavily before waving for my brothers and sisters to go play for now. Star darts for Bubbles, while the twinlets run after Fixit—which I'm okay with—and Bee runs to Electro, Electra, and Blue. "We got Fixie's sparkles and saved a girl last night. She's coming here with us, but she's had it really hard, so she's gotta have special 'tentions. Her new daddy's gonna be Bulky."

"Oh… Cool."

I nod. "I'm not sure how the ol' wrecker's gonna handle having a daughter, but she seems like she'll fit well with him an' Jackie…" We turn to watch the green-and-purple-clad, brown-and-pink-haired girl explore the playroom.

* * *

 **With Miko**

"Hi, Miko!"

She waves to the PowerPuff—Bubbles—before her eyes land on Buttercup, who's on her knees, "fighting" with a toy monster. "Take that, and that, and—!"

"Hi!"

Buttercup looks up in surprise, to find the new girl smiling down at her. "Hi."

"Can I play with you?"

"Um…"

"Sorry. I'm Miko. I'm techno-organic. My new foster Dad said he's giving me the bot name Blackfire."

"Oh…" She grins. "Cool! Do you like fighting?"

"Heck yeah! You like Kaiju?"

"What?"

"Giant monsters. I'm from Japan."

"Oh… I like beatin' them up!"

"I wanna try!"

I giggle before walking over from where Blossom and I were talking leader stuff. "You can't for a while yet, Mika."

"You're not my Daddy, Bulky is!"

"I am your prime, though, so you have to listen to me." I sigh softly. "Miko, it takes a lot to be ready for any kind of war, especially the one we're in. I've already been through one war, and trust me, it's not all you think it is."

"Bulky said I could be a wrecker like him!"

I sigh heavily. "And you can, but it's gonna be a while before you're allowed to be in the field. You'll get there, but not today."

Ms. Olivia claps her hands, triggering Fixit to shift to his rarely-used red-headed holoform, which is wearing yellow like Bee and Light. She's wearing black and white like Star and I, with blue jean shorts, and she's got a visor and backpack, both in black, on. "All right, class. We're getting ready to leave for the Desert Clear Zoo. Mr. Fowler's driving our newborn class in the orange minivan, and I'll be driving the maxivan. Elita, you'll be driving the toddlers, since they're your children." Everyone cheers. "Now, for the—."

"Ms. Livy!" Snowy yells, sounding panicky.

" _Knockout_!" Carrier cries.

The mech in question climbs out in holoform and takes a little girl out of the back seat in a yellow shirt like ours and pink jeans before walking up to the door with the femmeling's ruby red sparkly backpack hanging from one finger. Ms. Olivia opens the door and herds the mech-in-disguise inside. "Sorry we're late, Liv. BD was picking up her shirt at the mall."

"Hi, Mari! Hi, Bee! Hi, Star!" She runs over and hugs Gremlin with a smile. "Grem! You're okay!"

"Hi, Stormy." I hug her before letting Bee and Star have their turn.

"Glad to see you're still safe."

"Sire wouldn't let anyone hurt me, Bee-Bee."

Carrier relaxes slightly, before stiffening as Knockout steps over and crouches to me. "What are you doing!?"

He looks up, barely cringing at the shrill, angry tone. "I'm checking on my little patient, if you must know." He turns to me with a smile. "How's your foot and hand feeling?"

I smile. "Still kinda sore, bu' only if I walks too much. Carrier's got a stroller from Spot for us all, though, so I won' hafta walk lots."

"That's good." He smiles, genuinely. "Glad to hear you're doing better, Sweetspark."

"I know you're not as bad as you pretend to be Knocky." I hug him, causing what little anxiety Carrier has left to fade away. "Love you!"

He stands and starts for the door, receiving a glare from Ms. Olivia. "Hey! Hey, I'm a medic! I've got to be good with younglings!"

"Mari?"

"He fixy me when they haved us. I loves Knocky!"

"Okay, then…" She sighs and turns to us again as the door shuts. "Now, the rules. You are to stay with me, Ms. Stephie, or Ms. Elita. We'll have the walking chain so no one gets lost at the park. We'll stop for lunch at the park, so I hope everyone's parents sent money for lunch, and we'll go to the gift shop before we leave. You need to tell us when you need to potty, and no one goes anywhere alone. Those with powers, we do not fly on field trips. We walk like humans. We'll meet Ms. Daniels' class—"

"NO!"

Carrier crouches to Miko with a gentle smile. "It's okay, Sweetheart. They're not getting you back. Agent Fowler's already reported them to the foster care agency."

"And I'll be right here." We all look up to find Bulkhead's tough, African-American holoform looking a little out-of-place in a T-shirt that matches Miko's and camouflage shorts. Carrier gives him a look. "I was still out front when KO pulled up. I figured I'd be needed to make sure no one hurt the younglings." He growls lowly. "Especially with Breakdown's daughter here."

I cross my arms and glare at Bulkhead. "Bulky, she's jus' a younglin'! She no hurts no one! Knocky nice, an' _Breaky nice_!"

Bulkhead scowls at me. "Excuse me?"

Carrier crouches to me. "What do you mean, Sweetheart?"

I look up to her. "Breaky's Knocky's version of Aidie. He help Knocky in med-bay, an' he nice to the troopers everyone 'nores but me an' Aidie… He cawes, he jus' can' leaves Men'saur."

Buttercup gives me a confused look. "Men'saur?"

Carrier laughs softly. "That's Men- _A_ -saur, Buttercup."

She gets this happy, battle-crazy look on her face. "Sounds like a monster."

Miko bounces in place as she looks up to Bulkhead with an excited grin. "Can I fight 'im, Bulk?"

"You might get to as a Wrecker, Mika." I giggle. "And you're half-right, BC." I giggle harder for a moment. "They're 'stalt. His Commander hurted Aidie, bu' Breaky got him out, and back to Spot. Breaky's _good_. Even Su'erion an' 'Fensor finks so, an' dey's bery 'tective of Aidie, and Silver no likey Men'saur a' ALL, bu' he likey _Breaky_. Bwades no likey Men'saur, bu' he happy 'bou' what Breaky do."

"Who's Silver?"

I smile to Bubbles. "He's the leader of Su'erion."

"Su _p_ erion." Carrier laughs. "All right, Dreamwave, Lightstorm, it's time to go."

I hug them each as tight as I can before waving at them tearfully. "Bye-Bye!" I do the same with Fixit before he goes out to the eight-passenger van and folds down the spare chair before buckling in as Fowler and Ms. Stephanie carry the quints out and get them secured before climbing in themselves.

Ms. Livy leads us out to her big van. She helps us all get secured, then starts the car. I can't help but say: "Let's roll!"

* * *

 **Third POV, Public Kindergarten**

Mrs. Daniels blows her yellow whistle. "All right, everyone on the bus!"

Justine, a mother of identical triplets, turns to the kindergarten teacher with a sigh. "Aren't you worried about Miko?"

"We've got the police on it, but there's not much we can do about her. She's fifteen. Girls her age are always running away when they're in foster care." She shrugs. "She's probably spending the night with that Mexican boy she's been dating."

"Ah…" The mother gets her trio settled in two rows—one in front of the other—before settling beside Amy Lee—the sweet one—leaving the other two to their own devices.

* * *

 **Desert Clear Zoo, Tranquility, Normal POV**

We all climb out of the big blue van and wait for Carrier and Fowler to get here. The second they pull in, Bee and I run over with Star. She gets the stroller set up, and gets the five of us secured inside before moving to help Fixit get the quints secured into theirs. After a head count, we start for the gate, everyone but Bee, Star, Miko, and I holding onto the walking chain, Bee, Star, and I in the stroller with the Twinlets, and Miko on Bulkhead's hip.

We meet up with Mrs. Daniels and her class at the gate.

"That's my old Mommy, Bulky… She 'tends to be a good mommy, but she's only good to her _own_ kids. Her hubby works with this group called MECH."

"Olivia?" She smirks. "Looks like your school got bigger." She turns to Carrier. "And I see you're still pampering your children."

"Mari's got a nerve problem, Trixie. I _know_ I told you that."

"If she were my kid, she wouldn't be allowed to ride in a stroller no matter what. She's too big for that thing."

I undo the buckle and stand up. I won't stand for this—this— _Afthelm_ —picking on my mother!

"Mari—"

"I'm not usually the kind of girl to go off at adults, but you just crossded a line, Missy. You don't yells at my Mommy for taking cares of me when I's hurted!" I pull up my pants to reveal the compression sock, and hold up my hand with the compression glove. "I's has a dis-o'der called R.S.D., which means I has ouchies where no one can sees it. I's too little for med-cine, so's I hasta wears these, an' stay offs foot." I limp over to her, making the limp look worse for show. "I's gonna hafta use cwutches if I no ride strollers! I no wanna hafta be ina wheelchairs forevers!" I can feel my siblings worry through our bond, so I send them a wave of calm back. ~ _It's not that bad right now, guys. I'm doing better than we was wif Screamer. I's jus' actin' worse to get her off Carrier's backstrut._ ~

~ **You were that bad when we were in school together… You had'a stop coming… I only had Tajia to play with…** ~

~ _I know, Star. Trust me, I's okay._ ~ I look up to the woman. "So I's gonna ride, so I no hafta laters. Leave my mommy 'lones."

Bulkhead sets Miko down so he can carry me back to the stroller, and I buckle myself back in. Mrs. Daniels turns to her right as Bulkhead does. " _Miko_."

" _Daddy_!"

Bulkhead runs over and scoops her up before cuddling her. "It's okay, Sweetheart. I'm here." He glares at the woman before putting Miko on his shoulders. "Let's go."

We start walking through the zoo, looking at the animals. After a few minutes of this, I put my binky into my mouth—the one on the string, from Soundwave—causing Bee and Star to do the same.

* * *

We're in the gift shop, about to leave, when Mrs. Daniels walks over to Carrier. The five of us, still in the stroller, inch closer together, uneasy about the human now talking to our mother.

"Ms. Prime?"

Carrier turns to the mean woman. "It's Mrs." She sighs. "What did you need?"

"Your children seem to have Autism… Have they ever been tested?"

"Not in this dimension."

I have to giggle at that one, but quickly clap a hand over my mouth. ~ _Remember? I was told I have it back in my old dimension._ ~

"I'll get them to a doctor over the weekend, and see what the _doctor_ says…"


	12. Diagnosis

I have a poll on my profile page asking a question I really want to have answered. I'm trying to get as many answers as I can, and very few people visit my profile. I've gotten literally one answer in a week, and that's sad. Please answer, and be honest about it.

* * *

 **I only own my OC's!**

* * *

Diagnosis

 **Saturday, MAy 2**

Carrier sticks her head into our door and wakes us up. Once we're all dressed in batman outfits, we head to the military base to see a psychologist. "Carrier—" I sigh up at her. "I haves that already…"

"I know, Mari, but we don't have any proof for this of that for this dimension." She sighs. "And apparently they're worried about all five of you."

"We're 'stalt, though…"

"I'm not looking at this as any problem. I'll still be treating you like I always do, but hopefully, we can get your teachers' to treat you better during school next year."

"But Star…and the twinlets…they're normal…right?"

"Sweetspark…" She crouches to me. "Normal for one species doesn't always mean normal for another. It's like…" She pauses for a moment. "Like, when a dog wags its tail, it's happy, but when a cat does, it's angry."

"Oh…" I smile. "So we're normal for bots, but we're not normal for humans…"

"Yes." She stands and holds the office door open for the five of us. As usual, I'm carrying D-Wave, and Bee's got Light, and we're both holding Star's hands between us. When we're in public, we feel like we have to hold onto each other so no one takes us—especially after our week on board the _Nemesis_ without the twinlets.

* * *

 **Inside**

We settle in a line on the chairs. A brown-haired woman walks over to us. "Hi. I'm Lieutenant Doctor Caroline Neilson, but you can call me Carol. I'll assume you're Ariel?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Carrier stands and takes my hand as I pick Dawn up again, and Bee does the same with Light.

She waves us all toward a chair in her office. I glance up at Carrier skeptically. "She's military, Sweetsparks."

"I am, and I've been briefed by Special Agent Fowler on the five of you." She nods to us with a smile. "Why don't you have a seat, Ariel, and we can talk about what may be going on with your children."

"Yes." She sits in the chair and hands her the papers I had given her before we came to this dimension. "These are the papers on the second oldest child. We'd like a confirmation for her, and checks on the other four."

She looks over the papers before glancing to me. "Everything seems to be in order for…Mari? What grade is she going into?"

Carrier smiles. "She, Claire, and Bailey are going into first. The babies are going into preschool."

She turns to where the five of us are cuddled together. "You like butterflies?" I nod and mime holding a doll. I love dollies. I hate it when strangers try to talk to me. They scare me.

Carrier smiles down at me. "My Mariposa."

"Can you tell me your favorite subject?" I shake my head before turning to hide my face in the pile, my pacifier in my mouth.

Caroline and slips a paper into a folder before glancing back to us. "I can get you a list of accommodations for the children. Have you thought of stim toys for her?"

"I've got a few things that seem to help her, so I've allowed the others the same comfort items."

"I understand." She flips through the papers one more time, then tucks them into a folder before handing it to Carrier. "I completely agree with the Asperger's diagnosis, with all five, and I would make it a point to learn about the condition. You never know when she'll get curious."

"I will. Thank you for your time."

* * *

We leave the office and head back to the base. "Go on down to the playground, you three. Jazz is down there with Blue and Lyric. I need to talk with your sire, and the twins are going down for a nap."

I smile up to her and nod before we start back for the equipment elevator. Once inside, I stick my pacifier into my mouth before nodding at my brother and sister, who decide to leave theirs out. I like having something in my mouth—I chew my fingers if I don't have something.

Lyric hangs upside-down over a bar and smiles at me. "Hi, Guys."

Bluestreak runs at us. "Mari!" I hug the mech before passing him on to my brother and sister.

"How'd i' go, Mari?"

I shrug before climbing onto a swing, while Star and Bee take the ones on either side of me. "Okay, I guess. Humans already thought I haved it, so I no cares that they says here too…"

"Haved what?"

"You was deres, Bwue. You knows."

He shrugs. "I know. What did you have—er—do you have?"

"Autism." Jazz raises an eyebrow ridge. "I's like squishy Pwowlies gwitch wifs Wed's gwitch, 'cepts I gots PTSD like Bwue too, so brover an' sis'er gots too…" Jazz looks even more confused. " _Ach_ …" I hop off the swing. ~ _Stays put, guys…_ ~ I step over to Jazz and look up at him. "Pwowlie haves troubles when fings no makey sense—I does too—'cept'n dis form I getta giggles—so bads I no breaves good an' needs 'haler." I shrug. "An' I ge' panicky lik'a Wed sometimes too, 'cause the feaw pawt of bwain is messded up wif autism. So I gots pwowlie's gwitch an' Wed's gwitch."

"Oh." Jazz sighs. "Ah assume ya Carrier's 'xplainin' everythin' to the others?"

"I finks so. Twinlets sweeping."

"Sweeping?"

I glare at Lyric and take out my binky. "Sleeping, Dummy."

" _Mariposa_."

"I wan' my binky!"

"Careful, Jazzy. Mari melts down real easy when we're off schedule."

"Worse than she used to when I was with her. You'd be surprised how many were just because someone didn't want to listen to her, or because—"

"Hushies." I clamp a hand over his mouth. "'Cause dey askey too much an' I hadda run 'way."

"That red moon—"

"Bwood moon."

"Blood moon—was freaky."

"I 'gwee." I turn to Bluestreak. "I sowwy, bu' you talkies too much…"

"It's all right. I know you have sensory problems."

Jazz cocks his head to the side. "Sensory problems? Prowler never—"

"Goes 'long with Autism. Some things jus' make you feels wrong an' you no likes i'. Likey me wifs creams. No likey. Dey's too 'noying an' sticky, an' Ratch hadda fin' oder ways gives me da me'cine." I shrug. "I no likey heights eider, an' dat's sensory too." Jazz still looks confused. "Likey when Pwowlie no likey has wings touchded."

Jazz nods, understanding this time. "So ya don' wan' us ta touch ya?"

I shake my head. "I's 'stalt. I needs touchies. They's on boff ends. I's on the end that needs touchies. Pwowlie on the end that no likey touchies. I finks I can get him let hugs, dough."

"Ah wouldn' bug 'im righ' now, Sweets."

"I knows. He busy wif Soundie, an' gots lot of works do." I blink. "I's still commander, so I's gotta do some sometimes too. Daddy no' mind dat I sparkle an' pway most times, bu' I make sure he know what we do when it matter—wike when Starlight help in field."

"She acted as Ciarra's second-in-command when we had the war in the old dimension. She was even there when my human dad got hurt."

I shrug. "I's jus' gotta helps peoples…I's a 'tectobot."

"Tecto—Ah. _Pro_ tectobot, Sweets." He crouches to Star. "An' Ah 'member watchin' her do Prowler's job, Brightstar. She was really good—especially since Prowler an' I needed her help at the time too."

I shrug and give him a gentle smile. "I's jus' hel'ful sparkle."

"Tha' ya are, Mari. Tha' ya are." He runs a hand over my head before letting me run back to the swings. "Be careful over there, Lyre. Ya're gonna fall."

"No I won't, Sire!" The next thing you know, she's tumbling off the monkey bars and landing on her butt. "OW!"

I cover my mouth with my hands, trying not to giggle where she can hear me. "He tolded you, Lyre!"

"Oh ha ha, Mari." She stands, rubbing her butt. "Do I have a dent, Sire?"

"Nope. Ya don' have a den'." He lightly smacks her on the behind. "Bu' ya gotta be more careful, Lyre. Ya Carrier doesn' wan' ya ta ge' hur'."


End file.
